INVESTIGATING GENERATION Y STUDENTS’ ENTREPRENEURIAL AUTONOMY: A COMPARISON OF GENDER AND RACE

Year 2016, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 185 - 201, 01.06.2016

H.A. Koloba

Abstract

There is consensus among researchers of entrepreneurship that autonomy is an
important component of entrepreneurial orientation. Autonomy affords
entrepreneurs the free will and flexibility to develop and perform entrepreneurial
initiatives. South Africa is experiencing comparatively lower entrepreneurial
activity among young people compared to countries at similar levels of
development. This study was conducted to investigate the perceptions of
entrepreneurial autonomy among Generation Y university students. A questionnaire
was administered among Generation Y university students at two universities in the
Vaal Triangle area of the Gauteng province, South Africa. A t-test was used to
compare perceptions of entrepreneurial autonomy between male and female
students. ANOVA was used to compare the perceptions of entrepreneurial
autonomy among students from different races. Significant differences were found
in three of the six items of autonomy between males and females. No significant
differences were found among Black and White students. However, it was
encouraging to note that students perceived themselves as possessing autonomy
traits. Therefore, it is recommended that Generation Y students should be
supported in terms of entrepreneurial ambitions as future entrepreneurs will
emerge from this cohort.

Keywords

Autonomy, generation Y, gender, race

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