Abstract
The Colombian armed conflict is the oldest internal confrontation in the entire American continent and has placed Colombia as one of the countries in the world with the highest volume of internally displaced persons. There are many factors that influence the possibility of suffering violence in this situation, but one of the main factors is undoubtedly gender. In addition, the destruction of the productive fabric and the impoverishment of conflict zones are a difficult reality when it comes to undertaking initiatives. Women not resigning themselves to this state of affairs, by their own initiative, work to go from passive victims to survivors and agents of change. To achieve this, they hold on to social entrepreneurship as a possible vehicle and alternative for empowerment and personal development, the union with other women and the support of their families’ being crucial factors to reach this purpose. In this context, two research questions have been raised, related to the role of social entrepreneurship in women’s development and in building peace. These questions are answered by obtaining empirical data from key informants (seven personal interviews with Colombian women victims of the conflict from different departments who have promoted social entrepreneurship projects). The interviews were conducted from September to November 2019. Thus, one of the main conclusions is that entrepreneurship alone is not enough; State involvement is also necessary if the effects of the work carried out by these women are to reach a greater number of people and be more durable, contributing to economic and social progress and, therefore, to peace processes.
Highlights
The United Nations agency for gender equality and empowerment [1] points out that in certain territories women are far behind in access to land, credit and decent employment, and they continue to suffer in a way disproportionate poverty, discrimination and exploitation
The questionnaire began with personal information about the interviewees and a description of the social facet of the business, the questions covered aspects such as the factors that influence business creation by women [29], the possibility of empowerment caused by entrepreneurship in these women [30] or their contribution to peace [82]
Fight against Gender Violence and Racism. Another aspect in which entrepreneurship would help these women is in relation to gender violence. The empowerment of these women would be a crucial element in the prevention of violence in the family environment, since many women tolerate mistreatment by men because he is the provider of income in the family, a situation that could change when women undertake and achieve their financial independence, as reflected in the following testimonies: I2: “Wherever we find more support in women entrepreneurs or who are going to undertake, we avoid domestic violence, we avoid male violence, we promote independence
Summary
The United Nations agency for gender equality and empowerment [1] points out that in certain territories women are far behind in access to land, credit and decent employment, and they continue to suffer in a way disproportionate poverty, discrimination and exploitation. The empowerment of women refers to the transformation of women’s lives, from a position of limited power to one of better position [6]. This transformation can occur on a personal and relational level. They refer to the way in which women see themselves and how they consider their role in society. Changes at the relational level are related to relationships within the home and the community [7,8]
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