Entrepreneurship has become a well-known topic amongst various stakeholders, to the extent that it is considered by international and national researchers and policy formulators as the link to increased and sustained economic development and growth. This is particularly true for developing countries where poverty and high unemployment rates prevail, but also relates to developed economies where entrepreneurship is considered a driver of accelerated economic growth. Today, in the rapidly changing world of business, there is an emergent perspective that entrepreneurship may help unlock stagnating global economic growth. Some experts opine that this is particularly true with respect to females, who constitute more than half the world population, and their role as entrepreneurs. Investment in female entrepreneurship development and support could potentially be one of the most efficient ways to promote sustainable economic growth. Furthermore, investing in entrepreneurship of this type may have an important ripple effect on development, as female entrepreneurs will typically invest more money in the health, education and general well-being of their families and communities than their male counterparts. However, research has consistently demonstrated that men are more likely to a start business and this is also the case in South African. Despite this, some females do become entrepreneurs although many of their businesses remain small and do not have much growth potential. Based on the aforementioned, the primary objective of this study was to determine why female entrepreneurs decide to remain in business rather than returning to full employment or just not working at all. In addition, identifying which factors lead to their intention to remain in business and their business growth ambitions is also investigated. As the study focused on understanding and predicting the factors that motivate female entrepreneurs to remain in business, and determining which factors restrict or promote the growth of their business, a quantitative research approach was deemed most appropriate. This approach also made use of a descriptive, single-sample cross-sectional design which involved the use of a structured questionnaire to collect data from the identified sample. The questionnaire was pre-tested and underwent a pilot test before the final version was sent out to the respondents. It comprised 12 sections containing various constructs on entrepreneurial attitude, intention, growth and other factors. The final two sections requested the respondent’s demographical and business information. A combination of two non-probability sampling techniques was used in the selection of the sample elements as identified from the target population. First, a purposive sampling technique was utilised and second, a convenience sampling technique was employed based on specific participant selection criteria. As to the extent of the study, the research was conducted in South Africa which included respondents from all nine provinces and the final sample amounted to 510 usable questionnaires. Considering the primary and subsequent theoretical and empirical objectives of this study, its underlying philosophical underpinning originates from the radical structuralist or positivist paradigm as it predominantly makes use of empirical data obtained objectively and interpreted in a statistical manner. Reliability of the constructs were insured through the use of Cronbach’s Alpha and nomological validity was established through the use of Pearson’s correlation. The collected data were subsequently analysed and interpreted in a statistical manner making use of canonical correlation …