In a bustling street market in Lagos, Aisha stood behind her small wooden stall, adjusting the colorful fabrics she had spent months sourcing. Every bolt of cloth told a story—of resilience, of heritage, of dreams bigger than the narrow alleyways she called her storefront. Customers stopped, admired, and haggled, but few knew the battles she had fought to keep her business alive.
It started with a dream—one she dared to voice in a family where women were expected to run households, not businesses. When she applied for a loan, the bank officer barely glanced at her business plan before shaking his head. No collateral. No husband to co-sign. No loan. When she sought a space in the main market, male shopkeepers laughed. This is no place for a woman.
But Aisha didn’t stop. She borrowed from a community savings group, sold from home, and eventually carved out her own place in the market—one customer, one sale, one determined step at a time.
Her story is not unique. Across developing countries, women like Aisha are fighting for their place in the entrepreneurial world. They battle societal norms, financial barriers, and systemic challenges that often work against them. But despite it all, they persist.
What drives them? What stands in their way? And more importantly, how can they—and the women who come after them—build businesses that thrive?
This is their story.
The Weight of Tradition and Societal Expectations
In many communities, a woman’s ambition is often measured against the roles she’s expected to play. Daughter. Wife. Mother. Caregiver. Anything outside this framework can feel like a rebellion—a challenge to deeply ingrained traditions that dictate what women should and should not do.
For Priya, a skilled artisan from a rural town in India, this reality hit hard when she decided to turn her embroidery skills into a business. The whispers started before she even made her first sale. Why does she need to work? Her husband provides for her. Who will take care of the children? Even as she secured her first customers, the pressure from her own family weighed on her. At gatherings, relatives would remind her, A good wife doesn’t chase money.
This mindset isn’t unique to Priya’s village. Across developing countries, many women face a silent but powerful resistance—not through laws or official policies, but through cultural expectations passed down for generations. Entrepreneurship requires time, risk-taking, and sometimes public visibility—all things that traditional gender roles often discourage.
Then there’s the balancing act. Women who push forward often carry a double burden—running a business while still being expected to handle household duties without complaint. Unlike their male counterparts, they don’t always have the freedom to focus solely on their business.
Yet, despite the resistance, stories of defiance continue to emerge. Some women find support from other women—mothers who remember their own lost dreams, sisters who admire their courage, daughters who are watching closely. Slowly, these shifts create ripples that challenge outdated norms.
And when one woman dares to break the mold, others begin to follow.
The Funding Gap: A Fight for Financial Independence
When Maria applied for a business loan in her hometown in the Philippines, she arrived prepared—documents in order, business plan solid, vision clear. The bank officer barely looked at her papers before asking, Where is your husband?
Women entrepreneurs in developing countries face an uphill battle when it comes to securing capital. Many don’t own property to use as collateral, a requirement in most traditional banking systems. Others are denied loans simply because they lack a male guarantor. Even when they do get funding, they often receive smaller amounts than male business owners, limiting their ability to scale.
To work around these barriers, many women turn to informal savings groups, microfinance institutions, or crowdfunding. These alternatives help, but they often come with high interest rates or restrictions that make it difficult to grow beyond a certain point.
Despite these challenges, women find ways to push forward. Some, like Maria, tap into digital finance platforms that bypass traditional gatekeepers. Others form cooperative lending groups, creating their own financial lifelines. When banks say no, they find another way.
Limited Access to Networks and Mentorship
When Fatima opened her tailoring business in a small town in Kenya, she quickly realized that sewing skill alone wasn’t enough. She needed guidance on pricing, marketing, and scaling her operations. The local business community, however, was dominated by men who rarely took her seriously. At networking events, conversations happened in spaces she wasn’t invited into—over tea in the backrooms of shops or at gatherings where women were expected to serve, not speak.
This lack of access to networks and mentorship is one of the biggest invisible barriers women entrepreneurs face. In many regions, business connections form in male-dominated circles, making it difficult for women to find mentors, investors, or even basic industry advice. Without the right connections, opportunities remain out of reach.
But change is happening. Digital platforms are bridging gaps, allowing women to connect with mentors and business communities beyond their immediate environment. Programs designed for female entrepreneurs are creating spaces where they can learn from one another, share experiences, and build support systems.
Fatima eventually found an online mentorship group that helped her refine her pricing and expand her customer base. Today, she mentors other women in her town, ensuring they don’t have to struggle in isolation the way she once did. When one woman finds a way in, she often holds the door open for others.
The Digital Divide and Access to Technology
For years, Amina watched from the sidelines as businesses in her city in Bangladesh embraced social media, online payments, and digital marketing. She knew the potential—how an Instagram page or a simple e-commerce site could take her handmade jewelry beyond the local market. But there was a problem: she didn’t own a smartphone.
Access to technology remains one of the biggest barriers for women entrepreneurs in developing countries. Many don’t have smartphones, reliable internet, or the digital literacy needed to compete in an increasingly online marketplace. Even when devices are available, cultural restrictions often limit women’s access. In some households, men control internet use, leaving women with little opportunity to learn or build digital skills.
Yet, those who manage to cross this barrier often unlock unprecedented growth. Some, like Amina, gain access to low-cost smartphones through nonprofit initiatives. Others enroll in digital literacy programs, learning how to market their products, accept mobile payments, and reach international customers.
Technology has the power to level the playing field, but only if women can access it. When they do, entire communities benefit—not just from their businesses, but from the economic ripple effects of empowered, financially independent women.
Policy, Legal Barriers, and Bureaucracy
Noura had everything she needed to launch her bakery in Morocco—recipes perfected, demand growing, and a small but loyal customer base. But when she tried to register her business, she hit a wall. The paperwork was overwhelming, the fees too high, and the process riddled with legal requirements that seemed designed to keep people like her out.
For women in developing countries, starting and running a business isn’t just about having the right idea or skillset—it’s about navigating systems that weren’t built with them in mind. In many places, legal roadblocks make entrepreneurship nearly impossible. Some countries still require male approval for women to start businesses, while others have tax policies and licensing procedures so complex that even the most determined entrepreneurs struggle to comply.
Beyond registration, policies often fail to support women-owned businesses. Government grants and incentives tend to favor industries dominated by men, and labor laws don’t always protect female-led enterprises, especially in informal markets.
Still, women push forward. Advocacy groups and female entrepreneur networks are working to dismantle these barriers, pushing for policy changes that recognize and support women-led businesses. Noura eventually found a workaround—operating as a home-based business until she could afford legal registration. But change shouldn’t depend on persistence alone. When policies evolve to include women, economies grow stronger.
The Resilience and Innovation of Women Entrepreneurs
When Rosa’s small agricultural business in Peru faced drought, she didn’t wait for a solution—she created one. With no access to expensive irrigation systems, she experimented with homemade water collection techniques, using recycled materials to keep her crops alive. What started as a desperate measure turned into a model that other farmers in her village soon adopted.
Women entrepreneurs in developing countries aren’t just running businesses—they’re solving real problems. Many build enterprises that go beyond profit, addressing social challenges, environmental issues, and economic gaps in their communities. From producing eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics to creating education initiatives for young girls, their businesses often reflect a deep sense of responsibility.
Necessity drives much of this innovation. With limited resources and systemic barriers at every turn, women learn to work with what they have, often creating efficient, sustainable, and community-driven solutions. And when they succeed, they don’t keep it to themselves—they reinvest in their families, train other women, and lift entire communities.
Rosa’s business not only survived but expanded, with neighboring farms adopting her water-saving techniques. Today, she runs workshops teaching others how to farm more sustainably. Her story is one of many proving that when women entrepreneurs thrive, they create ripples of change far beyond their own success.
The Way Forward: Building a More Inclusive Future
Selena, a young entrepreneur from Guatemala, remembers the moment everything changed for her. After years of struggling to grow her textile business with limited resources, she was invited to a government-sponsored training program for women entrepreneurs. There, she learned how to access grants, market her products internationally, and connect with mentors who had walked the same path. Within a year, her business doubled in size, and she hired five other women from her village.
Her story is proof of what’s possible when the right support systems are in place. Women entrepreneurs in developing countries don’t need handouts—they need opportunities. Access to funding without unfair restrictions, mentorship without exclusion, policies that recognize their contributions, and digital tools that empower them to compete in the global marketplace.
Change is happening. Microfinance initiatives are expanding, governments are recognizing the value of women-owned businesses, and online communities are making it easier for women to support one another. But progress isn’t fast enough. More needs to be done to break the cycles of limitation that have held women back for generations.
The future of women’s entrepreneurship in developing countries isn’t just about individual success—it’s about collective transformation. When barriers fall, economies strengthen. When women gain financial independence, entire families rise with them. And when one woman is given the chance to succeed, she opens doors for countless others.
