Women’s entrepreneurship and small businesses in rural settlements in the israeli northern periphery

This paper examines women’s business entrepreneurship in rural, peripheral settlements in Northern Israel. Up until two decades ago, agriculture was the main source of income for rural peripheral households. In recent years, household units in the rural areas have been transforming into multi-functional units, combining agriculture with salaried jobs, as well as with business entrepreneurship. Hence, the entire population, and particularly women, are faced with new challenges regarding employment, income, and professional development. Furthermore, this change requires women to be embedded into new networks beyond the local, traditional ones. This study uses mixed methodologies and relies on quantitative, as well as qualitative, findings which reveal the scope of women’s entrepreneurship, its types, locations, strengths, and unique capital characteristics. The findings suggest that women’s sources of income in peripheral regions, as well as the types of networks in which they are embedded, are gradually changing. Small businesses enable women, and particularly younger ones, to realize their professional potential. Many of them can be regarded as pioneers, operating businesses and providing services that were unavailable in their region up until recently.