Business Digitalization and Women’s Entrepreneurship: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review of International Literature
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59890/ijels.v4i10.105Keywords:
Digital Entrepreneurship, Women’s Entrepreneurship, Business Digitalization, PRISMA, Systematic Literature ReviewAbstract
Business digitalization has reshaped entrepreneurial practice, yet its effects on women entrepreneurs vary across contexts. This study conducts a Systematic Literature Review following PRISMA 2020 to examine how digitalization both supports and constrains women’s entrepreneurship. A Scopus search (“digital entrepreneurship” AND “women” OR “female entrepreneur”) yielded 144 articles, of which 38 met the inclusion criteria. Thematic synthesis identified five themes: digital duality, contextual conditioning, digital literacy as a mediator, persistent gender bias, and psychological and social resources. The study formulates three evidence-based propositions and future research agendas, including longitudinal studies, generative AI, and policy effectiveness, with implications for theory, policy, and practice.
References
Ahl, H. (2006). Why Research on Women Entrepreneurs Needs New Directions.
Al-Boinin, H., Vatanasakdakul, S., & Zaghouani, W. (2025). Gender, Culture, and Social Media: Exploring Women’s Adoption of Social Media Entrepreneurship in Qatari Society. Administrative Sciences, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15030089
Alhothali, G. T., & Al-Dajani, H. (2022). Emotions and Resilience in Saudi Women’s Digital Entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148794
Alom, K., Rahman, M. Z., Khan, A. I., Akbar, D., Hossain, M. M., Ali, M. A., & Mallick, A. (2025). Digital finance leads women entrepreneurship and poverty mitigation for sustainable development in Bangladesh. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-025-00471-2
Alshebami, A. S., Fazal, S. A., Aljarodi, A. M., Zarin, N., Ali Seraj, A. H., & Alzain, E. (2025). The influence of access to technology and digital literacy on female empowerment and digital entrepreneurial intentions. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 23(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.23(3).2025.01
Althalathini, D., & Tlaiss, H. A. (2023). Of resistance to patriarchy and occupation through a virtual bazaar: an institutional theory critique of the emancipatory potential of Palestinian women’s digital entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 35(9–10), 956–978. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2023.2241412
Andalib, T. W., Hossain, S. A., Ramayah, T., Azizan, N. A., Hassan, D. I., & Khawar, S. (2025). The Cultural and Financial Dynamics of Female Entrepreneurs as Well as Their Empowering Ventures. Emerging Science Journal, 9(4), 2077–2099. https://doi.org/10.28991/ESJ-2025-09-04-018
Aris, N. F. M., Omar, S. S., Ibrahim, M. H., Radzi, R. N. M., Zamri, N. S. M., & Rashid, N. S. (2025). The Role of Social Media for Business Sustainability: A Study on Profit Performance Among Micro and Small Enterprises in Parit Raja, Johor. Paper Asia, 41(4b), 413–426. https://doi.org/10.59953/paperasia.v41i4b.754
Best, B., Lassalle, P., & Nicolopoulou, K. (2025). Unlocking the “SHERO” within: an exploration of how female entrepreneurs in the Caribbean use digital technologies for business transformation. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 17(1), 65–93. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-03-2024-0093
Brush, C. G., de Bruin, A., & Welter, F. (2009). A gender-aware framework for women’s entrepreneurship. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 1(1), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/17566260910942318
Chakraborty Dey, T., Gohain, D., & Gohain, T. T. (2025). What drives her hustle? Unravelling women entrepreneurs’ satisfaction on Facebook consortia. Frontiers in Communication, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1685336
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1).
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Elshaiekh, N. E., Al-Hijji, K., Shehata, A., & Alrashdi, S. M. A. (2023). An Empirical Analysis of Factors Motivating Unemployed Individuals to Engage in Digital Entrepreneurship in Oman: Focus on Technological Infrastructure. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(17). https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712953
Giddens, A. (1984). The constitution of society: Outline of the theory of structuration. University of California Press.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
Ibrahim, S., Marcella, R., & MacLennan, A. (2025). Investigating intersectionality and its influence on information behaviours of women and immigrant digital entrepreneurs in Nigeria: Overcoming social inequalities through information strategies. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006251329031
Kelly, D. G., & McAdam, M. (2022). Scaffolding liminality: The lived experience of women entrepreneurs in digital spaces. Technovation, 118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102537
Kelly, G., & McAdam, M. (2023). Women Entrepreneurs Negotiating Identities in Liminal Digital Spaces. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 47(5), 1942–1970. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587221115363
Kelly, G., & McAdam, M. (2025). Disaggregating women’s agency in digital spaces in the constrained pandemic context: A postfeminist sensemaking perspective’. International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship, 43(5), 504–524. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426251320579
Khoo, C., Yang, E. C. L., Tan, R. Y. Y., Alonso-Vazquez, M., Ricaurte-Quijano, C., Pécot, M., & Barahona-Canales, D. (2024). Opportunities and challenges of digital competencies for women tourism entrepreneurs in Latin America: a gendered perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 32(3), 519–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2023.2189622
Lall, S. A., Chen, L. W., & Mason, D. P. (2023). Digital platforms and entrepreneurial support: a field experiment in online mentoring. Small Business Economics, 61(2), 631–654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-022-00704-8
Laouti, H. N., & Zhao, X. (2026). Configuring psychological and infrastructural resources for poverty reduction: A hybrid PLS-SEM/fsQCA analysis of women’s digital entrepreneurship. Acta Psychologica, 267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107009
Liberati, A., Altman, D. G., Tetzlaff, J., Mulrow, C., Gøtzsche, P. C., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Clarke, M., Devereaux, P. J., Kleijnen, J., & Moher, D. (2009). The PRISMA Statement for Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Studies That Evaluate Health Care Interventions: Explanation and Elaboration. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000100. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000100
Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2007). Psychological capital: Developing the human competitive edge. Oxford University Press.
Miah, M. T., Aiupova, N., Erdei-Gally, S., & Fekete-Farkas, M. (2025). Digital entrepreneurship ecosystems: Then vs. now-a future perspectives. Digital Business, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2025.100110
Molina-López, M. M., de Vega, E. M., González-Pérez, S., & Zurdo, R. J. P. (2026). Gender equality in digital entrepreneurship: a social and educational perspective. REVESCO Revista de Estudios Cooperativos, 152, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5209/REVE.106336
Molina-López, M. M., Koller, M. R. T., Rubio-Andrés, M., & González-Pérez, S. (2021). Never too late to learn: How education helps female entrepreneurs at overcoming barriers in the digital economy. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/su131911037
Mutesi, J., Mutarindwa, S., Mukasekuru, A., & Shyaka, G. (2025). Digital readiness and business performance of Rwandan women entrepreneurs in cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Cogent Business and Management, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2518248
Nambisan, S. (2017). Digital Entrepreneurship: Toward a Digital Technology Perspective of Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 41(6), 1029–1055. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12254
Nuraisyiah, Azis, M., & Hasan, M. (2025). Gendered Financial Literacy and Digital Marketing Adoption: Insights from Female Entrepreneurs in an Emerging Economy. Administrative Sciences, 16(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci16010011
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Polshinskaya, M., Schepis, D., & Purchase, S. (2026). Girls just wanna have funds: How women digital entrepreneurs navigate anticipated and experienced gender bias. International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426261442404
Ratten, V. (2024). Female music entrepreneurs’ use of international social capital and digital technology. Journal of Management and Organization, 30(6), 2336–2349. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2024.77
Ratten, V., & Braga, V. (2024). Internationalization Through Digital Empowerment for Women Filigree Jewelry Artisan Entrepreneurs in Portugal. Thunderbird International Business Review, 66(5), 419–427. https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.22394
Schmitt, F. (2025). Envisioning a New Era of Inclusivity in the Digital Entrepreneurial Landscape through Digital Platforms. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/109656
Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press.
Shah, S. H., & Malik, F. (2022). Role of Social Media Digital Platforms in Empowering and Establishing Digital Enterprises for Women. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 657 IFIP, 41–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19429-0_3
Soetikno, H. W., Maupa, H., & Cahyadi, H. (2025). Digital Entrepreneurship Decisions In Indonesian Women-Led Smes: An Integrated Sem Of Transformation, Skills, Innovation, And Behavioral Intention. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 3(13), 60–67. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2025.330229
Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008). Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 8(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-8-45
Venkatesh, V., Smith, R. H., & Morris, M. G. (2000). Why don’t men ever stop to ask for directions? Gender, social influence, and their role in technology acceptance and usage behavior. MIS Quarterly, 24(1), 115–139.
Wei, L., Yang, Q., Li, J., & Lu, Y. (2026). Navigating the Digital Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: An Integrative Analysis of Empowerment, Role Dilemma, and Private Domain Entrepreneurship Among Chinese Women. Systems, 14(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14010054
Wiig, H., Schou, P. K., & Hansen, B. (2024). Scaling the great wall: how women entrepreneurs in China overcome cultural barriers through digital affordances. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 36(3–4), 294–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2023.2261393
Zahwa, A., Sutjipto, M. R., & Salim, D. F. (2025). A strategic model for women entrepreneurs: Digital literacy, resources, and innovation in enhancing MSME performance. Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 9(4), 2571–2586. https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6607






