Rural women microentrepreneurs, consumer acquisition, and value delivery: Evidence from a quasi-experiment in rural India

Gender equality and social impact are gaining significant research attention in marketing. This paper investigates the impact of recruiting rural women microentrepreneurs on acquiring consumers and delivering value to them. We study the outcomes from a quasi-experiment in which a social enterprise recruited a group of women to become microentrepreneurs in 91 out of 164 locations (panchayats) across rural districts in India. We show that the rural locations with more women than men microentrepreneurs experienced a 40.8% increase in consumer acquisition and delivered 64.1% greater value to their consumers. Moreover, these locations with more women than men microentrepreneurs delivered $5,445 more value for women consumers. Men microentrepreneurs who work in inclusive settings with other women microentrepreneurs delivered $25,100 more value to their consumers than men microentrepreneurs working in predominantly male-work environments. This research contributes to the intersection of marketing, social entrepreneurship, and gender dynamics, underscoring the importance of empowering women for better marketing and societal outcomes.