Beyond Profit: Women’s Transformative Experiences through Community-Based Entrepreneurship Training in rural Indonesia
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Abstract
Entrepreneurship is widely recognized as a catalyst for economic development and social empowerment, particularly among women in marginalized communities. Despite numerous interventions, limited attention has been given to how women internally experience transformation after participating in community-based entrepreneurship training. Previous research has largely emphasized economic outcomes, leaving unanswered the question of how women perceive and make meaning of their entrepreneurial journey within social and cultural contexts.
This study adopts an interpretative phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of women micro-entrepreneurs following their participation in a structured training program. This study adopts an interpretative phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of women micro-entrepreneurs following their participation in a structured training program. Data were collected over a three-month period through in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten female participants aged between 25 and 45 years, residing in rural Indonesia. Thematic analysis using IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) identified four key themes: reclaiming self-worth, empowerment through shared struggles, spiritual reawakening, and negotiating agency within social structures. These findings demonstrate that entrepreneurship for these women is not merely an economic endeavor but a multifaceted process of personal, social, and spiritual transformation. The participants' narratives revealed how training programs served as catalysts for self-identity reconstruction and relational empowerment.
This study enhances our understanding of women’s empowerment by centering their voices and subjective interpretations within entrepreneurial contexts. The findings suggest that future program designs should integrate emotional and spiritual dimensions to support more holistic forms of empowerment.
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