Emprendimiento social femenino: Experiencias en los estados del noreste brasileño desde la perspectiva del desarrollo regional

Abstract

To understand experiences of women’s social entrepreneurship from the perspective of regional development, this research analyzes experiences in North-eastern Brazilian states characterized as women’s social entrepreneurship. This research, of a documental and exploratory nature, collected data from 18 experiences on governmental websites. Through a comparative table, the contributions of the respective actions were specified, making it possible to understand their nature, the actors involved, and their execution. Among the experiences, we highlight those developed in prisons with a view to re-socialization, in areas of social vulnerability, with training and incentives for income generation. We also considered the conceptual demarcation that encompasses women’s social entrepreneurship and its relationship with the promotion/stimulus of public policies and regional development. Therefore, the results show weaknesses that surround conceptions of women’s social entrepreneurship, as well as the social impact and improvement of the quality-of-life experiences. As a research insight, the elements of theoretical and practical relevance of female social entrepreneurship were inferred, such as the third sector, the driving force behind these actions, networking, public policies to promote/strengthen female protagonism, and social innovation.