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A growing body of evidence suggests that experiences of discrimination may affect physical and mental health through multiple pathways. This paper aims to characterize the extent of everyday perceived discrimination among Brazilian and Cape Verdean immigrant adults in Portugal, to identify its forms and analyze its association with mental health.

This study draws on data from the EQUALS4COVID19 (Equity in health in times of pandemic) project that implemented a cross-sectional survey combining online and face-to-face questionnaires for data collection between February and November 2022.

Women were less likely than men to report no discrimination experiences and more likely to report combined bases of discrimination. While Brazilian women were more likely than Cape Verdean counterparts to report gender and nationality-based discrimination, Cape Verdean women and men were more likely to report experiencing race-based discrimination. Gender (being identified as a woman) and length of stay in Portugal were the main predictors of depression, while resilience and perceived social support were protective factors. Participants with higher levels of resilience showed a significantly diminished association between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms.

This study highlights the need for further research on the interlocking influences of gender, race, nationality and other structures of power, on health and illness to increase our understanding of what would help meet the specific needs of migrants’ mental health and improve equitable health care.

The findings on the multiple and intersectional discrimination perceived by the Brazilian and Cape Verdean populations in Portugal illustrated the ways mental health can be affected by social structures, such as gender and ethnic hierarchies, and can be used to inform the relevance to design and implement programs on combating individual and institutional discrimination and improving the rights of all people.

The bread and butter of marginal communities primarily rely on their artisanal work, to which the communities’ women have notable contributions despite facing numerous challenges. This study aims to unveil the challenges along with latent opportunities of different marginal women entrepreneurs in the rural areas of Bangladesh.

This study used narrative inquiry to explore the real-life business phenomena of 15 marginal women entrepreneurs with more than 5 years of business experience living in 4 districts of Bangladesh. This approach was used to document participants’ responses through the storytelling of their daily business experiences.

The findings of this paper indicate that vulnerable living conditions, social negligence, availability of substitutes, frequent sickness, increasing price of raw materials, lack of entrepreneurial skills and lack of managerial skills are the major challenges of marginal women entrepreneurs. In contrast, minimum capital requirement, home-based business, traditional profession, retaining cultural heritage and lack of accountability are the main opportunities that motivate marginal women to continue their entrepreneurial activities.

The insight of this research can promote and sustain marginal women entrepreneurship and aid researchers, policymakers and businesses in improving the various entrepreneurial aspects of informal community entrepreneurs in developing countries. However, the study was limited to five marginal community entrepreneurs (Rishi, Kumor, Jele, Cobbler and Kamar) in Bangladesh. Therefore, conducting future research encompassing all marginalized communities is recommended, and empirical studies on this domain are highly encouraged.

The insight of this research can promote and sustain marginal women entrepreneurship and aid researchers, policymakers and businesses in improving the various entrepreneurial aspects of informal community entrepreneurs in developing countries.

In the authors’ knowledge, this is unique research on marginal women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.

The purpose of this study is to critically analyze the key factors contributing to gender disparities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and propose creative solutions to mitigate these differences. Despite the significance of this issue, it has not received sufficient attention owing to the absence of clarity regarding the factors that exacerbate the gender gap.

This study used a qualitative methodology that combined the viewpoints of social psychology and educational research to pinpoint and evaluate essential elements. Using a grounded theory approach, semistructured interviews were analyzed, and the obtained data were coded and categorized using ATLAS.ti software.

This qualitative research identified three key areas: internal and external factors influencing the gender gap, as well as strategic actions within higher education to address these disparities. The innovative contribution of this study lies in its development of a comprehensive theoretical framework that enables the diagnosis, quantification and understanding of these factors and proposes practical measures to mitigate these gender disparities. By promoting greater gender diversity, the proposed model can contribute to more inclusive and sustainable development, which is consistent with the 2030 agenda.

This study highlights the need for a multidimensional approach to address the gender gap in higher education, fills a crucial knowledge gap and provides a theoretical model to guide effective university policies.