تحلیل نقش زنان کارآفرین در توسعه روستایی (مطالعه موردی: شهرستان صومعه‌سرا)

Extended Abstract



Introduction

Identifying the entrepreneurial talents of rural people, especially women, and trying to develop and strengthen entrepreneurship in rural development by providing its primary conditions is highly important. The review of the background of the research shows that studies have been conducted about variables such as employment, agriculture and the gender dimension of women's entrepreneurship in the village, and the challenges and requirements of its development have been addressed. Still, an explanation has yet to be made regarding the role of women entrepreneurs in the villages. Since the women of the hidden labor force are one of the essential bases of the labor force in the villages, it is necessary to examine the skill dimensions of their entrepreneurship in depth. The examination of the entrepreneurship skills of the villagers, especially rural women, and efforts to develop and strengthen entrepreneurship in rural development by providing its basic conditions are important. Therefore, the current research has been done to analyze the role of women entrepreneurs in village, and this study seeks to answer the following question:

-How much do women entrepreneurs provide the field for rural development?



Methodology

In terms of purpose, the current research is applied and based on the research method; it is among descriptive-analytical and survey studies. The statistical population of the present study includes women entrepreneurs of Someh Sara County, and the statistical samples of the research were selected from 151 villages of Someh Sara County, 27 villages with women entrepreneurs. A total of 51 women entrepreneurs and 36 rural managers were selected using the available sampling method. Demographic data and information of the villages of Someh Sara came form the general population and housing census and the agricultural census(2015), obtained from the city's trustees and institutions, as well as the completion of specific questionnaires and observations in the mentioned time frame.



Results and discussion

In this study, participants answered questionnaires prioritizing the economic aspects of women entrepreneurs' participation in village development. Among economic fields of women entrepreneurs in the rural development of Someh Sara’s County, chicken and mushroom breeding with a value of 21.55 obtained the highest percentage among women entrepreneurs. Social contexts in this study refer to activities that maintain and improve village social aspects, not just profit. These include enhancing social capital. Among social fields, cooperation with the village Islamic Council(value of 23.00) had the highest percentage.

Based on economic and social factors, rural development by economic factors, the employment status of Someh Sara in the mentioned topics, with a value of 3.3 in the continuation and expansion of the activities of women entrepreneurs, 3.000 on the issue of employment of non-natives in profitable jobs, 3.00 on the issue of job satisfaction in the sector created by women, 3.05 on the issue of creating job opportunities for rural women and youth, and finally, 3.02 on the issue of the creation and development of entrepreneurship,(with the value of the obtained averages higher than the average number of 3), show the relatively favorable state of economic development in the employment index. The Chi-square test shows that all the indicators mentioned are significant at the 0.05 level because the significance level obtained is smaller than the 0.05 number, so it can be concluded that the role of women entrepreneurs in the rural development of the monastery is significant. However, this test does not determine the intensity of the relationship, so the Cramers V test was used to determine the intensity of the relationship between the two variables. Because the numerical value of this statistic is high, it can be concluded that the intensity of the relationship between the two variables of the role of women entrepreneurs in the rural development (economic factors) of Someh Sara County is high. A qualitative index has been proposed to analyze the results, which can be used to qualitatively determine the role of women entrepreneurs in rural development (economic factors) of Someh Sara County. According to the findings, among the economic indicators, the income development index(score: 71.66), employment(71.51), investment(71.45), and facilities(71.31), had the highest and lowest levels of influence respectively. The role of women entrepreneurs in Someh Sara was considered separately.

Rural development based on economic factors show that the employment status of Someh Sara with a value of 3.3 for continuation and expansion of women’s activities, 3.00 for employment of non-natives in profitable jobs, 3.10 for job satisfaction in the sector created by women, the value of 3.05 for creating opportunities for women and rural youth, and 3.02 for creating and developing entrepreneurship, (all above the average value of 3), shows the relatively favorable state of economic development in the employment index. To measure the intensity of the relationship, the Cramers V test was used. The high value of this statistic confirms the strong relationship between the role of women entrepreneurs and rural development in Someh Sara. Based on the results, women's entrepreneurship is productive, and their activities contribute meaningfully to rural development.



Conclusion

The findings of the present research, considering that Someh Sara has suitable climatic conditions for agricultural, animal husbandry, industrial activities, and tourism due to its humidity and suitable climate, indicate that the region can provide effective conditions for rural development. May Webster be an appealing destination for attracting tourists. The results show that women entrepreneurs have performed successfully in the field of village development. Therefore, their efforts can significantly contribute to rural progress. These findings are consistent with previous studies(Alizadeh and Bahrami, 2016: 121), (Rasekhi et al, 2015: 459), (Shamanian et al, 2022: 172), (Shahbazi, 2022: 243). Based on these results, the study proposes solutions for feasibility assessment, introduction, and training aimed at developing successful women-led businesses in the villages of Someh Sara. Moreover, developing the sales and export markets of products in the villages of Someh Sara County is necessary, according to the capacity of the domestic and food markets of Guilan province and its proximity to the international border.