Presentation and Validation of a Model of Social Minority Entrepreneurship (Case Study: Socially Harmed Women Entrepreneurs)

Abstract

Social minority entrepreneurship, particularly among socially harmed women entrepreneurs, has attracted increasing scholarly attention as an effective strategy for individual empowerment, psychological reconstruction, and the promotion of social development. However, the lack of indigenous and empirically validated models capable of explaining the multidimensional nature of this phenomenon remains a major gap in the existing literature. The present study aimed to develop and validate a model of social minority entrepreneurship with a specific focus on socially harmed women entrepreneurs. From a methodological perspective, this research employed a quantitative mixed-methods approach. Based on the results of the qualitative phase, a 70-item questionnaire was developed, and data were collected from a sample of socially harmed women entrepreneurs. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling with AMOS software. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that all model constructs demonstrated satisfactory reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity. Model fit indices (CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and χ²/df) confirmed an adequate fit between the proposed model and the empirical data. The findings revealed that empowering motivations and attitudes, supports and infrastructures, digital capability, and collaborative networking exert significant effects on healing-oriented entrepreneurship, which in turn directly leads to the growth of social startups and an increase in resilience capacity. Overall, the results indicate that entrepreneurship for socially harmed women is not merely an economic activity but a multidimensional process of psychological healing, social identity reconstruction, and enhancement of social participation. The proposed model can serve as a practical framework for policymakers, support institutions, and social development planners.