Analysing the Role of Innovation in Enhancing Women-Led Entrepreneurial Ventures

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-872-1_66How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Women entrepreneurs; innovation; entrepreneurship; gender equality; policy; education; technology

Abstract

Women-led enterprises can bring about change and foster the economy. However, gender-based challenges like access to finance, policy restrictions, and access to education and technology hinder the full realisation of this power. This research article critically examines how innovation can be a transformational instrument for overcoming the barriers to success for women entrepreneurs. The exhaustive literature review, policy analysis, and comparative case studies highlight the critical success factors for women to prosper in complex settings: access to mentorship, education, resilience, and the ability to undertake frugal innovations. The study also lists other ongoing structural impediments, including financial hindrances, cultural norms, digital divides, and regulatory bottlenecks.

The research discusses the relevance of policy frameworks, education, and technology in determining women’s entrepreneurial outcomes. Policies relating to gender responsiveness, inclusive regulatory frameworks, and public-private partnerships have proved critical in access to resources and opportunities. Education, especially entrepreneurial and STEM education, further boosts innovation, informed risk-taking, and scaling of women’s ventures. Women have increasingly accessed broader markets, been connected to global networks, and conducted their businesses more efficiently owing to technological tools, particularly mobile access and digital payments.

The study proposes potential actionable strategies and policy interventions for fostering a women-friendly ecosystem conducive to innovation, including gender-inclusive innovation hubs, gender-lens investing, simplifying business regulations, digital capacity-building, and targeted mentorship programs. Innovation enables women entrepreneurs to create scalable, sustainable, and socially impactful businesses. It concludes that fostering innovation among women entrepreneurs is not merely an issue of gender equity but a central driver for inclusive and resilient economic development. Furthermore, it calls for intersectional research approaches that account for caste, class, and geographical differences to inform further policy and programmatic interventions.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Boffin Sunny
AU  - Anu Singh
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/11/04
TI  - Analysing the Role of Innovation in Enhancing Women-Led Entrepreneurial Ventures
BT  - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Business Practices and Innovative Models (ICSBPIM-2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 1073
EP  - 1089
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-872-1_66
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-872-1_66
ID  - Sunny2025
ER  -