<p>Entrepreneurship is the primary engine of global economic growth. However, for a long time, the representation of women in business and entrepreneurship has been a challenge that must be addressed. Although many women possess immense entrepreneurial potential, factors such as gender bias, limited access to capital, and cultural barriers often pose significant obstacles. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the relationships among public policy, national culture, entrepreneurial competencies, gender inequality, and the sustainable performance of women entrepreneurs from low-income backgrounds (B40) with household incomes of RM5,249 or less per month. This research also aims to investigate the mediating role of entrepreneurial competencies and the moderating role of gender inequality, using statistical analysis based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and AMOS software. The study sample consisted of 389 women entrepreneurs, selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Research indicates that public policy, national culture, entrepreneurial competencies, and gender inequality are significantly associated with sustainable entrepreneurship performance. The study also revealed that entrepreneurial competencies significantly mediated the relationships between public policy (<i>β</i> = 0.109, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) and national culture (<i>β</i> = 0.094, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) with sustainable entrepreneurship performance, indicating partial mediation. Next, gender inequality significantly moderates the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and sustainable entrepreneurship performance (<i>β</i> = −0.091, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), such that the relationship is weaker at the higher levels of gender inequality. As a result, a supportive ecosystem for successful entrepreneurs is needed, including a pro-entrepreneurial, gender-balanced environment, as well as active entrepreneurship development programs which positively linked with entrepreneurial competencies.</p>