A Bibliometric Analysis of Women Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development: Trends, Contributions, and Future Directions
A. Angelcybi1, P. Chellasamy2
1Research Scholar, School of Commerce, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
2Professor and Dean, School of Commerce, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
*Corresponding Author E-mail: angelcybi@gmail.com, chellasamy@buc.edu.in
ABSTRACT:
This study uses bibliometric analysis to examine the relationship between women's entrepreneurship and sustainable development between 2002 and 2024. It uses information from the Scopus database to find patterns in authorship, citation networks, institutional relationships, and research production trends. In order to combat poverty, foster equitable growth, and support environmental preservation, the analysis emphasizes how women entrepreneurs play a crucial role in sustainable development through creative and inclusive business practices. This bibliometric analysis offers an in-depth overview of the research environment and insightful information for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars who want to increase the influence of female entrepreneurs on sustainability objectives. The global communities can better support women entrepreneurs as change agents who are both transformative and sustainable by addressing current research gaps and promoting international collaboration. The results highlight the increasing scholarly attention being paid to the subject, with notable contributions coming from nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and India, which together account for a sizable portion of publications and citations in this area.
KEYWORDS: Women Entrepreneur, Sustainable Development, Women Empowerment.
1. INTRODUCTION:
The promotion of global sustainable development, which emphasizes tackling economic, social and environmental issues without sacrificing the demands of future generations is greatly aided by women entrepreneurs1. By encouraging economic growth, generating employment, and lowering poverty using innovative and inclusive business practices, women entrepreneurs make substantial contribution to sustainable development2.
Enhancing economic development, promoting equitable and sustainable industrial growth and tackling global issues like poverty and inequality all depend on empowering women entrepreneurs3. Gender inequality is addressed and sustained economic growth and social development are promoted by empowering women entrepreneurs through financial inclusion and education4. Women entrepreneurship address poverty, promotes inclusive societal growth, all of which act as drivers for sustainable rural livelihoods 5. Women entrepreneurs have an essential function in promoting sustainable development because they frequently implement business models that strike a balance between social justice, economic growth, and environmental preservation. As such, their participation is crucial to reaching global sustainability objectives6. Empowering women to take up entrepreneurship in underdeveloped nations promotes socio-economic growth, sustainability, and the eradication of poverty and public health7. By encouraging economic growth, generating employment, and lowering poverty using innovative and inclusive business practices, women entrepreneurs make substantial contribution to sustainable development8.
This study looked at 323 papers that were published between 2002 and 2024 using the Scopus database. This study offers important insights into the development and present status of research in this field by examining trends in scientific production, author contributions, national connections, and citation networks. The results provide insightful viewpoints for academics, decision-makers, and professionals looking to support female entrepreneurs and increase their influence on sustainability objectives.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
Rana Ismaeel Aslaad et.al (2023) This study’s main goals were to findout what empowers women business owners in the Kingdom of Bahrain and how those characteristics affect the expansion and success of their companies. Three factors-quality education, socio-cultural norms and policies-that empower and assist women in starting enterprises in the Kingdom of Bharain were shown to exist and have a substantial impact.
Sheela Sundaresan et.al (2023) A bibliometric and content analysis if women’s financial literacy is conducted in this study. In the rapidly changing environment of today, financial literacy, inclusion, education, and competence are critical for women’s financial well-being and might provide them with the tools they need to manage their money sustainably and plan for retirements.
Rahabhi Mashapure et.al (2022) This study's primary goal is to look at the variables affecting rural women's entrepreneurial growth and sustainable rural livelihoods in Zimbabwe's Manicaland province. The study found that, in order to preserve a rural livelihood, women entrepreneurs are motivated by financial, environmental, psychological, and societal considerations.
Laura et.al (2019) This study uses the institutional theory to examine how business sustainability and entrepreneurial framework conditions (EFCs) relate to young and female entrepreneurs. Stakeholder involvement, people and skills, ecosystem management, market and sales, and innovation are the first components of a sustainable firm. Second, market openness, IT infrastructure, government programs and policies, education, and financing are the components of the EFC. Lastly, among young and female entrepreneurs, financing and IT infrastructure are important indicators of firm sustainability.
Daniel Stefan et.al (2021) This study focuses on Romanian women entrepreneurs' perceptions of particular factors that contribute to a sustainable business model. The study's key findings offer useful practical ramifications for creating a workplace that is gender-balanced. Women's desire for sustainable business models, the perceived significance of gender-related stereotypes for the creation of sustainable business models, and the applicability of the new digital economy trend to Romanian women entrepreneurs are all covered in the paper's last section.
Salmas. Abed (2021) The purpose of this study was to investigate empirically how female entrepreneurs use mobile applications to sustain their businesses. The results of a survey conducted among 330 Saudi Arabian women entrepreneurs indicate that the most important factor influencing the behavioural intention to use mobile applications is social influence, which is followed by effort anticipation.
Mercedes Barrachina Fernandez et.al (2021) This study examines 28 papers from the Web of Science database in an effort to clarify the connection between sustainability and female entrepreneurship. Its primary finding bolsters the notion that consciousness of women while launching a new business is important for sustainability.
3. MATERIALS AND DATA:
3.1 Database and Keywords:
For this Bibliometric analysis, the Scopus database was used. In order to findout the relevant articles, the analysis use certain Keywords, such as “Women entrepreneur and sustainable development”.
IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION OF THE RELEVANT STUDIES
Figure 1 Prisma framework
3.2 Filtration of Data:
Data were extracted from the database from the period 2002 to 2024 using the search string PUBYEAR>2002 to PUBYEAR<2024. After Applying this year-based selection, 323 documents were found.
4. ANALYSIS:
Table 1 presents a summary of the data collected from the Scopus database using the defined keywords "Women entrepreneur, Sustainable development”. It provides information about authors, their collaborations, documents, and their content.
Table 1. Summary of Main information about data
|
Main Information About Data |
|
|
Timespan |
2002:2024 |
|
Sources (Journals, Books, etc) |
230 |
|
Documents |
323 |
|
Annual Growth Rate % |
18.45 |
|
Document Average Age |
3.49 |
|
Average citations per doc |
10.07 |
|
References |
17187 |
|
Document Contents |
|
|
Keywords Plus (ID) |
645 |
|
Author's Keywords (DE) |
972 |
|
Authors |
|
|
Authors |
872 |
|
Authors of single-authored docs |
57 |
|
authors Collaboration |
|
|
Single-authored docs |
59 |
|
Co-Authors per Doc |
2.83 |
|
International co-authorships % |
24.15 |
|
Document Types |
|
|
Article |
224 |
|
Book |
3 |
|
Book chapter |
56 |
|
Conference paper |
32 |
|
Conference review |
1 |
|
Editorial |
1 |
|
Note |
1 |
4.1 Annual Scientific Production:
Figure 2 represent the annual output of scientific production over a period of time.2024 is the most fruitful year with the publications of 83 articles. There were 40 articles in 2023, 46 articles in 2022, 40 articles in 2021, 30 articles in 2020 showing a steady level of research output over that time. During the 2002 to 2019, 84 articles were published, indicating a somewhat lower level of research productivity over the year.
Sources: Biblioshiny
Figure 2 Average Scientific Production
4.2 Most relevant Authors and Affiliations:
4.2.1 Most Relevant Authors:
The listed authors have published the most pertinent “Women entrepreneur and Sustainable development” research work. Boluk Ka and KOC M stands out among the listed writers with the publications of 3 articles each. Abbas A, Abdelwahed NAA, Adeola O, Agarwal S, Agarwal V, AL-qahtani M, Andrade-Suarezm and Ari who have each published 2 articles. These authors have made significant contributions to women entrepreneur and sustainable development.
Sources: Bibilioshiny
Figure 3 Most Relevant Authors
4.2.2 Most Relevant Affiliations:
The furnished data lists the affiliations that are the most pertinent. First is Convenant university with 12 articles. Hamad Khalifa university and University of Stratchclyde is second with 10 publications. Aligarh Muslim university is third with 9 articles. George Emil Palade university of Medicine, University Cesar Vallioyo, University Malaysia Kelantan each university has Published 8 articles. Gla University and University Airlangga has Published 7 articles each. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture has Published 6 articles.
Source: Biblioshiny
Figure 4 Most Relevant Affiliations
4.3 Countries Scientific Production:
On the basis of the frequency, the following figure 5 shows the data on the scientific production of various nations. The data shows how many articles were produced in each nation. Indian nation comes first with the frequency of 143 articles, followed by 58 articles in United Kingdom, 55 articles in United States, 50 articles in Indonesia, 42 articles in Spain, 37 articles in Malaysia, 32 articles in Nigeria, 30 articles in Canada and Italy, 27 articles in Pakistan, 24 articles in Australia, 22 articles in Romania, 18 articles in China were published. The findings implies that the two countries that contribute the most to Women entrepreneur and Sustainable development. The two countries are India and United Kingdom.
Sources: Biblioshiny
Figure 5 Country Scientific Production
4.4 Most Cited Countries:
Present the most citated countries, with a total of 514 citations. United Kingdom emerges as the most referenced country. With 292 citations, India comes in second place. USA in third place with 239 citations. Spain in fourth place with 170 citations. Australia is in Fifth place with 151 citations. Pakistan is in Sixth place with 142 citations. Australia, Greece, Gahana and Malaysia have citation range between 103 to 76. Due to their large citations count, these findings imply that United Kingdom, India and USA have significantly contributed to the filed. These nations probably have a significant research focus on women entrepreneur and sustainable development and their academics frequently publish important works that is recognised and cited by their Peers. Spain, Australia, Pakistan and other nations have made significant contribution to the subject.
Sources: Biblioshiny
Figure 6 Most Cited Countries
4.5 Most Globally Cited Documents:
A list of articles that have gotten numerous international citations is presented in Figure 7. The paper “Halkias, 2011, Manage Research review has received 137 citations, making it most globally cited among them. Researchers from all over the world have given it a lot of attention since it published in 2011.GE T,2022, Front Psychol, has received 122 international citations. Movono A, 2017, Asian Pacific Journal of Tourism research has received 105 international citations. These articles have earned acknowledgement from international researchers, demonstrating their importance and contribution to the research field.
Sources: Biblioshiny
Figure 7 Most Globally Cited Documents
4.6 Most Locally Cited Documents:
A list of articles has gotten numerous local Citations presented in the Figure 8. “Halkias,2011, Manage Research review has received 10 local citations followed by AFSHAN G, 2021, International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship has received 7 citations, UTSIOS G, 2017, Gender in Management has received 6 citations. Movono A, 2017, Asian Pacific Journal of Tourism research has received 5 citations. These articles have contributed significant insights into various elements of Women entrepreneur and sustainable development and their findings have affected subsequent studies and conversations in the subject.
Sources: Biblioshiny
Figure 8 Most Locally Cited Documents
4.7 Corresponding Author Countries:
The countries of the related authors are shown in Figure 9, which is divided into SCP (Single Country Publication) and MCP (Multiple Country Publication) terms. The data analysis yields many intriguing results. Indian nation is first with the Publications of 36 articles which 33 are SCP and 3 are MCP. With 21 articles, which 11 are SCPs and 10 are MCPs, United Kingdom holds second. South Africa and USA is in third place with 13 publications and a mixture of both SCP and MPC. Indonesia and Spain is in fifth place, with 11 the publications of 11. Italy is in the seventh place with 9 publications, Australia is in eight place with 8 publications, Germany and Saudi Arabia is in nineth place with 7 publications each.
Sources: Biblioshiny
Figure 9 Corresponding Author’s Countries
These nations exhibit diverse SCPs and MCPs, highlighting their participation in solitary and group research.
5. DISCUSSION:
The bibliometric analysis sheds important light on how women's entrepreneurship and sustainable development are developing. One important finding is the consistent rise in yearly scientific output, which peaked in 2024 at 83 articles, indicating a growing recognition of the significance of this area. With 143 publications, India is the most productive contributor, demonstrating its increasing focus on sustainability and entrepreneurship, which is bolstered by governmental policies and demographic trends. But the global academic significance of research outputs from the United States and the United Kingdom is indicated by their large citation counts. Prominent contributors include individual academics like Boluk Ka and KOC M as well as establishments like Covenant University and Hamad Khalifa University, highlighting the importance of committed researchers and organizations in furthering this topic. The global dimension of the opportunities and difficulties in women's entrepreneurship and sustainable development is shown by the collaboration patterns, which show that international collaborations are involved in 24.15% of the research. "Halkias, 2011" is the most globally cited paper, according to the citation analysis, indicating its fundamental importance in forming the conversation. Additional often cited papers, such those by Movono (2017) and GE (2022), demonstrate the growing scholarly acknowledgment and interest in this topic. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN, keywords analysis indicates a high emphasis on themes including innovation, social fairness, and environmental responsibility. While these developments, the analysis also identifies important gaps that must be filled in order to fully capture the worldwide dynamics of women entrepreneurs, such as the underrepresentation of regions like South America and Africa. Furthermore, systematic studies that address longer-term effects, scaling concerns, and wider structural constraints are lacking, despite the fact that individual success stories have been extensively reported. According to these results, even though there has been a lot of progress, more inclusive and multidisciplinary study is urgently needed to fully examine the diverse roles that female entrepreneurs play in attaining sustainable development.
6. CONCLUSION:
This bibliometric analysis provides a complete picture of the research environment women's entrepreneurship and sustainable development. The results demonstrate notable advancements in international cooperation, scientific output, and the impact of foundational research. As a result of their scholarly and policy interest in this area, the United States, India, and the United Kingdom stand out as major contributors. The report highlights the vital role that female entrepreneurs play in promoting sustainable development objectives, but it also points out areas that require attention. These include a lack of attention to systemic issues, a lack of regional representation, and the requirement for longitudinal research to evaluate the long-term effects of sustainable businesses run by women. Inclusive approaches that take into account various cultural, social, and economic contexts should be given priority in future study. It is recommended that policymakers and practitioners use these findings to inform the development of focused programs that strengthen the contributions of female entrepreneurs to sustainability. The global community can fully realize the potential of women entrepreneurs as a catalyst for sustainable development by encouraging cooperation and funding creative solutions.
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Received on 28.01.2025 Revised on 10.07.2025 Accepted on 18.12.2025 Published on 18.02.2026 Available online from February 21, 2026 Asian Journal of Management. 2026;17(1):43-48. DOI: 10.52711/2321-5763.2026.00007 ©AandV Publications All right reserved
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