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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sociol.

Sec. Gender, Sex and Sexualities

Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2025.1684697

Influence of socioeconomic factors on female entrepreneurship: An analysis using structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM)

Provisionally accepted
Rosa  Ysabel Bazán ValqueRosa Ysabel Bazán ValqueOmer  Cruz CaroOmer Cruz Caro*William  Humberto Portilla BazánWilliam Humberto Portilla BazánElías  Alberto Torres ArmasElías Alberto Torres ArmasCesar  Jefferson Samillan VasquezCesar Jefferson Samillan VasquezCarlos  Andres Rojas PuertaCarlos Andres Rojas Puerta
  • Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas, Chachapoyas, Peru

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Female entrepreneurship has emerged as a strategy for reducing poverty, generating employment opportunities, and promoting gender equality, particularly in rural areas where structural inequalities persist. However, there is still a limited understanding of how socioeconomic factors influence their development. This study aimed to analyze the influence of these factors on women-led entrepreneurship, considering dimensions such as family income, social empowerment, economic growth, access to resources, entrepreneurial capabilities, and sociocultural factors. The research was conducted with a sample of 98 female entrepreneurs from the province of Chachapoyas, Amazonas region of Peru, providing context-specific evidence for understanding female entrepreneurship in a rural Amazonian setting rarely studied. The initial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was employed, supported by SmartPLS4 software. The results indicate that socioeconomic factors have a positive impact on income, empowerment, and economic growth. Furthermore, female entrepreneurship strengthens capacities, facilitates access to productive resources, and contributes to transforming restrictive cultural norms. Beyond the financial benefits, it acts as a driver of social change. This study offers a comprehensive framework for understanding female entrepreneurship. It provides useful evidence for the design of public policies promoting women's economic inclusion in historically excluded areas.

Keywords: Gender Equality, Women-led businesses, access to productive resources, Entrepreneurial skills, Social empowerment

Received: 13 Aug 2025; Accepted: 29 Sep 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Bazán Valque, Cruz Caro, Portilla Bazán, Torres Armas, Samillan Vasquez and Rojas Puerta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Omer Cruz Caro, omer.cruz@untrm.edu.pe

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