This literature review summarizes research and scholarship on women’s entrepreneurship in rural, Tribal, and other underserved communities. These populations each face unique socio-cultural, infrastructural, and other challenges, and draw on resulting strengths to overcome financial barriers, limited access to training and mentorship, and wild cards like the COVID-19 pandemic. This report documents gaps in data and sets the stage for further analysis of rural and Tribal women entrepreneurs’ lived experiences.
The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) has released the ‘Rural Women Entrepreneurs: Challenges and Opportunities’ report which offers a profile of rural women entrepreneurs and will serve as the springboard for the work and policy considerations of the Council.
“By understanding the exclusive challenges facing women entrepreneurs in rural communities, NWBC is in a better position to advocate for programs and policies that will help to reduce or eliminate those hurdles,” says Liz Sara, NWBC Chair. “Since entrepreneurship is central to rural job creation and economic growth, NWBC has made rural entrepreneurship a priority for this year”.