Designing a Social Minority Entrepreneurship Model with an Emphasis on Socially Vulnerable Women Entrepreneurs: A Qualitative Content Analysis Study

Abstract

Entrepreneurship, as one of the key strategies for social and economic empowerment, plays a significant role in improving the conditions of vulnerable groups. In this regard, socially vulnerable women entrepreneurs, as part of social minorities, face numerous structural, cultural, institutional, and individual barriers in their entrepreneurial pathways, the identification and explanation of which require a deep and interpretive approach. The aim of the present study was to design a conceptual model of social minority entrepreneurship with a focus on socially vulnerable women entrepreneurs using a qualitative approach. From a paradigmatic perspective, the study was situated within the interpretivist framework and, in terms of approach, was inductive, employing qualitative content analysis as the research method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 academic experts and specialists in the field of social entrepreneurship, and sampling continued through a snowball technique until theoretical saturation was achieved. The data analysis process involved open, axial, and selective coding using MAXQDA software. The findings led to the identification of a set of causal, contextual, intervening, strategic, and consequential categories, which were integrated into a comprehensive conceptual model. The results indicate that entrepreneurship among socially vulnerable women is a multidimensional phenomenon dependent on the interaction of individual, institutional, and social factors. The proposed model can provide a theoretical and practical foundation for supportive policymaking, the design of empowerment programs, and the development of future research in the field of social entrepreneurship.