Abstract

MORALES E., Natasha; ORELLANA, Dayanne; VILLALOBOS, Andrés  and  RIVERA CHACON, Ricardo. How family and institutional networks contribute to the empowerment of women-owned small businesses. Perspectivas [online]. 2025, n.55, pp.49-74.  Epub May 15, 2025. ISSN 1994-3733.  https://doi.org/10.35319/bwtv3282.

This study investigated how family and institutional networks may contribute to the empowerment of women-owned small businesses in rural and peri-urban contexts. The study adopted a qualitative methodology using 20 focal groups to build Net maps and conducted in-depth interviews with rural and peri-urban women-owned small businesses in Bolivia. The thematic analysis combined the participants’ narratives with the Net maps. Our findings showed that family networks are essential for rural and nascent peri-urban entrepreneurs. The self-perception of empowerment for rural entrepreneurs is based on the women's meaning of network content given to work-life balance, which keeps them in the status quo at the poor entrepreneurial level. Female peri-urban entrepreneurs who achieve business growth exhibit affiliative and expansive network behavior motivated by themselves. For them, family support loses relative importance to business success in the overall network interplay.

Keywords : Women-owned small business; women networks; women-empowerment; netmap methodology; Bolivia.

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