Trends and challenges of female entrepreneurship: A bibliographic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58763/rc2025475Keywords:
Information sciences, small enterprises, women employment, women managersAbstract
Introduction: In today's dynamic business context, entrepreneurship has become a multifaceted and transcendental phenomenon, where the literature has begun to pay special attention to the intersection between entrepreneurship and gender. Methodology: This article aims to explore this relationship from a bibliometric perspective, analyzing a thorough review of accumulated scientific production from 2001 to 2023. Results: The findings highlight the relevance of entrepreneurship for economic development and the fact that women's participation also plays a crucial role in it. Furthermore, an upward trend was observed in publications related to female entrepreneurship; seminal authors were highlighted, and the main thematic lines were examined. Conclusions: The article sought to answer questions about the evolution of studies, their objectives, and conclusions, as well as explore the level of scientific production in Honduras and Latin America specifically. Ultimately, the article synthesizes knowledge and critical reflections on the role of men and women in innovation and economic change.
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