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This study seeks to examine the business and social profiles of 67 women entrepreneurs in three regions of Nigeria in order to identify patterns of entrepreneurship and social and economic challenges facing women business owners in Nigeria. The study aims to support and encourage sustainable small‐scale economic development activities by Nigerian women and determine ways to integrate these small businesses into existing urban economic development projects and strategies for poverty alleviation, expand understanding of the business and social profiles of women entrepreneurs in Nigeria, examine the contextual influences on their work, raise the level of awareness of women entrepreneurs amongst all economically active agents and researchers, influence social and economic policy addressing issues of women entrepreneurs.

A survey was developed and administered to a sample of 62 practicing Nigerian female entrepreneurs. The survey was divided into sections that recorded personal demographics, the entrepreneur's perceptions of the business environment and their venture and the motivations and drives that led to the birth of their business. Data were collected and processed to produce frequency distributions on every question/variable in the survey followed by cross‐tabulations between all variables and χ² tests in order to reveal strong associations.

With no or few significant differences shown to exist between male and female business owners or managers once they have already started an enterprise, there is a strong indication that Africa has sizeable hidden growth potential in its women. From the results presented, it is evident that female entrepreneurship in Nigeria is driven by micro‐financing as well as family dynamics that work to shape and influence the birth of a business.

Future research initiatives need to explore the gender dimension and the influence of education levels on the role models that influence and drive female entrepreneurship. In addition, the evolution of the complete life cycle of the entrepreneur's business should be examined and dependencies on the variables presented should be investigated. Finally, research should focus studies whose aim is to influence social and educational policy that encourages women's entrepreneurship in the fight for poverty alleviation in Africa.

Unique contribution with information being provided regarding an area that has not been studied before with a quantitative and qualitative method both within the same study.

This study aims to explore the challenges and barriers encountered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) women entrepreneurs in an emerging country context – Sri Lanka – within a context of strict gender role stereotyping beliefs and norms.

Using qualitative research methodology, 15 in-depth, in-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted with STEM women entrepreneurs using the theoretical lenses of intersectionality and social role theories in tandem.

Findings revealed that participants were confronted with an array of structural/administrative and gender-related challenges at the intersections of gender, entrepreneurship and characteristics mapped with STEM fields. Accordingly, lack of access and reach to networks and opportunities, procedural obstacles, difficulties in staffing, difficulties in obtaining finances, lack of understanding and support from family and society, difficulties in managing work-life, and legitimacy obstacles appear to restrain the participants in starting and running their businesses. These challenges have their roots embedded in a complex web of ideologies and expectations related to gender.

This research contributes to the scant body of literature on STEM women entrepreneurship in general and specifically to the literature on challenges facing STEM women entrepreneurs from the perspective of a non-Western – emerging economy, which is built on strong cultural strictures and gender ideologies.

This study examines the dynamic relationship between UK entrepreneurs' engagement with society and the economic climate surrounding the 2008 financial crisis – before, during and after it. We investigate whether such crises strengthen or weaken the connections between entrepreneurship and society, considering gender differences.

We employ individual-level data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the UK Longitudinal Study (UKLS) to assess changes in entrepreneurs' social engagement during crises. We use panel logit and Poisson regressions to estimate trends in social engagement over time and in response to economic turmoil.

We discover that entrepreneurs are more likely to join social organisations during economic turmoil. This engagement varies by gender, with female entrepreneurs more inclined to engage with social organisations than males. This suggests that female entrepreneurs perceive crisis risks differently, seeking support to navigate uncertainty. Additionally, we find evidence supporting the idea that female entrepreneurs take longer to recover from major economic shocks than their male counterparts.

Entrepreneur behaviour during crises remains understudied. The role of social ties and networks in aiding entrepreneurs during systemic crises is particularly unexplored. This study addresses this gap, highlighting gender-based behavioural differences during crises and paving the way for further research. It represents a crucial step in integrating crisis literature into entrepreneurship studies.

Female entrepreneurship has been part of the political agenda internationally. Public entities should promote entrepreneurship in general, and female entrepreneurship in particular, with dedicated resources and programs. Female entrepreneurs are considered a key asset for developing economic growth. However, women experience much more difficulties than men in opening their own ventures. Relational capital is particularly relevant when it comes to female entrepreneurship. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that affect the opening of new ventures and the role of relational capital in female entrepreneurship, taking into consideration the Italian context during the financial crisis.

This study uses a mixed-method approach analyzing data from a regional program to enhance the creation of new companies, trying to understand the issues of potential entrepreneurs in general and women in particular. A single case is then investigated using the characteristics – ambience – organization – sustainability model of micro-entrepreneurship and the network relationship model by Paoloni (2011).

The analysis highlights how women face much more difficulties in starting new ventures concerning their previous experience if their employment condition finds an extended period of inactivity. Additionally, potential female entrepreneurs are more sensitive to the complexity of the initiative, concerning the required investment and the number of employees, compared to male entrepreneurs. Relational capital is a crucial asset in fostering the success of the venture, especially in the start-up phase.

The purpose of the study is to contribute to the debate regarding the issues affecting the opening of new companies, as well as the link between relational capital and female enterprises. The paper offers some insights about a program covering a well-sized population during the financial crisis.