Entrepreneurship by Women in the Rural Environment: Tourism as a Spur to Development

The important role of women in rural development has been brought repeatedly to notice in the literature, but the role of women entrepreneurs in rural development is a more novel issue. Rural tourism has provided a fundamental opportunity for women to join the job market and earn recognition of their economic independence and professional status, but little evidence exists of the real impact of rural tourism businesses run by women. The objective of this research therefore is to evaluate the economic situation of women rural tourism entrepreneurs, determining what variables affect the probability that a woman owner or manager will earn her basic or fundamental income running tourist accommodation (a country cottage). The results confirm that running rural tourist accommodation normally brings in supplementary income, although the rural environment seems to be witnessing the rise of a new profile in female entrepreneurs, there is less dependence on the traditional family structure and greater proximity to both personal and economic independence.