Women’s Role in Rural Agriculture, Importance, and Constraints to Women’s Entrepreneurship in Türkiye

Women play an essential role in agricultural production, food security, development, and stability of rural areas. The aim of this study is to highlight the role of rural women in agricultural development, their entrepreneurial potential, and their constraints to entrepreneurship. The study was conducted using data obtained through the survey method from 192 women entrepreneurs, who were determined through the proportional sampling method from women who applied for grants support in the period 2016–2018. The data collected was analysed using various methods such as frequency distribution, chi-square analysis, and cross tables. Additionally, descriptive statistics, including frequency and proportional distribution, were employed to analyse the data. Furthermore, Fisher’s Exact Test and other statistical tests were also utilized to determine the significance of the findings. The study examined the contribution of women engaged in agricultural activities to agriculture and highlight of the importance and constraints of women’s entrepreneurship in six provinces in Türkiye. According to the research, the average age of the women was 33.5 years, and the average family size was 5.7 persons. It was found that 7.1% of the women were illiterate and 5.1% were university graduates. The vast majority of women (2.76) do not believe that women’s entrepreneurial activity will weaken family unity, they believe that they will contribute to the family budget, share family responsibilities and that women’s entrepreneurship will contribute positively to rural development. It was found that women mainly need training in vocational training (29.4%), marketing (24.8%) and financing (21.3%). In this context, necessary policy measures should be taken to empower women in rural areas.