Exploring Factors Influencing Women's Entrepreneurship in Rural Cooperatives of South Khorasan Province, Iran: A Structural Equation Modeling
محمد اسکندری ثانی
1
(
استادیار جغرافیا و برنامه ریزی شهری، دانشگاه بیرجند، بیرجند، ایران
)
Javadmikaniki javad
2
(
Department of Geography, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Birjand University. Birjand.Iran
)
Narges Khedmati
3
(
university of Birjand
)
Keywords: ", Women', s Entrepreneurship, ", Empowerment, ", Women', s Cooperatives, ", ,
Abstract :
Women's entrepreneurship in rural cooperatives plays a pivotal role in empowering women and fostering economic growth across diverse regions. This study investigates the factors influencing women's entrepreneurship in rural cooperatives in South Khorasan Province, Iran. The research is applied in terms of its purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of its research method. It employs a cross-sectional survey design and utilizes quantitative data. The research population encompasses active cooperatives engaged in women's rural cooperatives' entrepreneurship in South Khorasan Province. A total of 16 rural women's cooperatives operates in the region, with 11 being semi-active and only 5 fully active. Utilizing exploratory factor analysis, four primary factors emerged from the 68 questionnaire items: individual-psychological, educational-promotional, economic, and social. To examine the structural pattern of factors influencing women's entrepreneurship in rural cooperatives in South Khorasan Province, structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using Smart PLS software. The results indicate that among the four paths modeled, only the educational-promotional factor significantly influences the level of entrepreneurship, with a path coefficient of 0.264. The remaining modeled paths are not statistically significant. Consequently, the findings suggest that in the current context of the examined model, only the educational-promotional factor exerts a meaningful impact on entrepreneurship.Considering the importance of extension training in the process of entrepreneurship, it is suggested to strengthen the educational and extension infrastructures for effective training in the field of entrepreneurship of rural women. It can be concluded that education is more necessary in South Khorasan, especially in traditional geographical areas, and the suggestions are based on this.
