The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Rural Women: An Example from Iran

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the personality characteristics related to entrepreneurial spirit of rural women. The statistical population of the study included rural women in the central district of Nimrooz County in Sistan and Baluchistan Province (N=406). Krejcie and Morgan Table was used to determine the sample size. To this end, 186 participants were selected through stratified random sampling with proportional allocation. Data were collected by a questionnaire that validity was confirmed via face validity procedure and its reliability was measured by calculating a Cronbach's alpha coefficient. SPSS software was used to analyze data. The results showed that more than 50 % of rural women were strong in terms of balanced risk taking, internal locus of control, need for achievement, mental fluency, tolerance for ambiguity, daydreaming, and innovation. Yet, around 30 % of rural women were weak in terms of balanced risk taking, mental fluency, independence, and innovation. Furthermore, 17 % were weak in terms of daydreaming and challenging. The results of one sample t-test also indicated that 10 dimensions of rural women's entrepreneurial spirit were significantly higher than the average. Therefore, in order to increase rural women's entrepreneurial spirit, it seems necessary to strengthen such characteristics as balanced risk taking, innovation, independence, mental fluency, challenging, and daydreaming.