The Mediating Role of Personal Initiative in The Relationship Between Social Capital and Women's Self-Employment

Abstract

This study examines the mediating role of personal initiative in the relationship between social capital and women's self-employment in Mbarara City, Uganda. The inquiry was driven by the persistent gender gap in economic participation and the growing importance of self-employment as a pathway to women’s economic empowerment in developing contexts. Grounded in Social Capital Theory and Gender Role Theory, the study conceptualizes personal initiative as a dynamic force that channels the benefits of social capital into tangible entrepreneurial action. A cross-sectional, quantitative design was employed, with data collected from 378 self-employed women across Mbarara City using stratified random sampling. Results from Pearson correlations, multiple regression, and mediation analyses reveal that both social capital and personal initiative have a significant and positive relationship with women's self-employment (β = .229 and β = .430, respectively). Moreover, personal initiative was found to partially mediate the relationship between social capital and women's self-employment, accounting for approximately 51.8% of the total effect. These findings highlight the necessity of fostering both structural support systems and internal motivational factors to enhance women's economic participation. Policy recommendations include integrating entrepreneurship training with network-building programs and addressing institutional barriers that constrain women's proactive engagement in business.