مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - Study on the Factors Affecting the Choices of Initiative Areas for Prospective Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Izmir Province

Abstract :

This study encompasses three important objectives. Firstly, to determine the socio-economic factors affecting the choice of initiative areas of the prospective women entrepreneurs in rural areas; secondly, to present their opinions about agriculture policies and finally; to give suggestions in order to increase the number of women entrepreneurs. The promotion of women s entrepreneurship in rural areas project has been implemented for the first time in Turkey. Fifty women were successful in a test conducted by a Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization, and primarily earned support for their projects. In this study, the fifty prospective women entrepreneurs were met in person and asked to fill in the questionnaire. The multinomial logistic regression model was used to determine the factors affecting the choice of work areas of these prospective entrepreneurs. Their choices were processing and marketing own agri-products, opening breakfast restaurants and using own food products there, and engaging in handicraft businesses, with the remaining wanted to work in other areas. According to the results of the multinomial logistic regression model, the variables that cause positive distinctiveness between the ones who wanted to open breakfast restaurants and the ones who wanted to process and market the agri-products were age and being open to innovation . However, the variables like whether the women are effective in agriculture policies or not , the frequency of participating in cultural activities and the uncertainty in the prices of agri-products had a negative distinctiveness.