Identifying the barriers of developing rural women's family businesses

Abstract

The research aimed at identifying the barriers associated with the development of rural women's family businesses to draw and develop an accurate and operational framework of the current situation. The study used a survey quantitative research methodology based on the views and opinions of the rural women. Statistical samples consisted of 217 rural women with family businesses from 28 villages of Hamedan province in Iran. Data collection tool was a questionnaire which was face validated by a group of experts. Reliability of the questionnaire was done by calculating Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.80). Results showed that the most important barriers faced by rural women's family businesses were low ability of the women in creativity and innovation as well as low income-generating of the family businesses. The results also showed that the barriers can be fallen into five groups including supportive and logistic barriers, managerial and monitoring barriers, individual and family barriers, skill and expertise barriers, and communication and information barriers.