Rural women entrepreneurs in Oman: problems and opportunities

Abstract

PurposeThis paper examines the challenges associated with rural women entrepreneurs in Oman. The study is based on women living in rural and highland areas who aim to move beyond their traditional roles in the family seeking avenues for growth and development. It identifies several problems encountered by rural women entrepreneurs and the impact on their future business opportunities.Design/methodology/approachA mixed research approach involving quantitative and qualitative elements was adopted for the study. The research is based on 183 survey responses and personal interviews with 8 rural women entrepreneurs. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was adopted to analyse the quantitative responses and depict a model featuring the intensity of the problems affecting business opportunities. Seven short cases based upon the interviews with rural women entrepreneurs are also detailed.FindingsSeveral problems experienced by rural women entrepreneurs were identified hampering their business ventures, linked to personality, family, educational, socio-cultural, facilities, legal, financial and economic, organizational and geographical, out of which household, organizational and geographical linked problems were most significant. Entrepreneurial opportunities for rural women entrepreneurs are discussed.Practical implicationsThe research suggests that the policymakers should holistically consider how the rural women engaged in informal business for various means can be better supported and sustained by overcoming associated problems, can achieve business opportunities and contribute to regional socio-economic development.Originality/valueThere is a limited literature available on rural women entrepreneurship in an Arab context. The study provides an overview of the challenges and problems experienced by these women and the support areas required to overcome them for their sustainability in this region.

Entrepreneurship in Crisis: The Determinants of Syrian Refugees’ Entrepreneurial Intentions in Turkey

“…Entrepreneurship has become a modern career approach that creates jobs and reduces unemployment. Therefore, many countries are trying to encourage entrepreneurs to start their own smalland medium-sized enterprises to improve national economic development [8][9][10] and the sustainability of these pioneering projects, as well as achieving business opportunities and contributing to social and economic development [11,12]. Syria continues to face several challenges owing to the ongoing conflict, which has led to the influx of huge numbers of refugees to many countries, especially Turkey [13].…”

Egyptian rural women entrepreneurs: Challenges, ambitions and opportunities

“…If fully exploited, such advantages can yield fruitful returns for both entrepreneurs and rural communities. In this regard, we stress the potential contribution of women to the development of rural contexts (Lourenço et al, 2014) despite the many challenges they face (Muhammad et al, 2017); an area which has thus far been largely overlooked Ghouse et al, 2019;2021). Given the social, economic and legislative constraints facing RWEs, a comprehensive approach that takes into account rural women's specific needs is required to overcome the challenges they face.…”

“…If fully exploited, such advantages can yield fruitful returns for both entrepreneurs and rural communities. In this regard, we stress the potential contribution of women to the development of rural contexts (Lourenço et al, 2014) despite the many challenges they face (Muhammad et al, 2017); an area which has thus far been largely overlooked (Ghouse et al, 2019, 2021; McElwee, 2006).…”

“…McElwee (2006: 198) asserts that ‘there is little in the way of literature that examines entrepreneurial activity by women’. Similarly, Pato (2015) argues that most rural studies focus on rural entrepreneurs generally, with a lack of focus on women entrepreneurs and Ghouse et al (2019, 2021) highlight the paucity of research exploring women entrepreneurship in developing countries, and more particularly Arab countries.…”

“…Furthermore, Tabatabaei and Jafari (2013) state that the participation of rural women in work is considered a crucial step for reaching rural development targets, especially in the area of entrepreneurship. However, RWEs are still considered as an untapped resource for promoting economic growth in rural areas (FAO and ILO, 2010), especially in Arab contexts (Ghouse et al, 2019(Ghouse et al, , 2021.…”