Women Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas: Opportunities and Challenges - A Systematic Analysis of Research Gap

Abstract

Over the last few decades, women entrepreneurship has become increasingly important for the development of societies in terms of promoting economic growth and empowering communities, especially in rural areas with scarce employment opportunities. Rural women entrepreneurs make significant contributions to poverty alleviation, economic prosperity, and community development. Women entrepreneurs in rural areas encounter numerous problems associated with a lack of finance, poor education and training, socio-cultural barriers, and weak infrastructure.
This paper seeks to provide a comprehensive literature review of the existing literature on rural women entrepreneurship to explore key opportunities, challenges, and research gaps. This literature review is built upon academic research articles, policy documents, and empirical studies dedicated to rural women entrepreneurship. The findings show that government initiatives, self-help groups, microfinance organizations, and digital platforms offer substantial opportunities for women entrepreneurs living in rural areas.
At the same time, financial issues, poor market penetration, infrastructure weaknesses, and gender discrimination remain crucial challenges for rural women entrepreneurs. In addition, the paper outlines some critical research gaps, which include a lack of empirical studies on digital entrepreneurship of rural women and a dearth of relevant literature on sustainability of rural businesses owned by women.