Economic Inclusion of Women Entrepreneurs During Covid-19 in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
The main aim of this chapter is to analyse the economic inclusion of women entrepreneurs through government support schemes in the time of COVID-19 pandemic in the Western Balkans. The chapter discusses the effects of the pandemic on women-led businesses and their activities undertaken to fight the consequences of the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the set of measures that countries have decided to implement to help the economy, and their effects on the ability of women firms to cope with the crisis. A survey was carried out on a sample of women-led businesses from three Western Balkan economies: Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The research findings indicate that 77.2% of women entrepreneurs experienced negative consequences caused by the COVID-19 crisis. A similar proportion of women entrepreneurs reacted to the crisis by using a cost-cutting strategy and innovative actions. Estimates by women entrepreneurs of the time needed to recover from the crisis, made by those who used state aid and those who did not, indicate that government support schemes did not make a great deal of difference.However, secondary data indicate that the institutional support to women’s businesses was crucial to ensure their sustainability and improve their inclusion in the economy, particularly in the times of crisis.
Document type
- Research paper
Language
English
Publication Year
2022
Geographical focus
- Western Balkans
Scientifc field / Thematic focus
- General
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Entry created by Admin WBC-RTI.info on November 7, 2022
Modified on November 7, 2022
