Peer support and value creation among women entrepreneurs

Abstract

In resource-constrained environments, where institutional support is scarce, women entrepreneurs often rely on peer support to sustain their ventures. While existing research emphasizes women as beneficiaries of help, this study shifts attention to their active role as help providers. We examine how women entrepreneurs balance providing help with pursuing their own economic survival, exploring the interplay of social and economic value creation. Using a sequential mixed-method approach and data from Brazilian favelas, Study 1 analyzes a quantitative survey across three data points, demonstrating that receiving help significantly enhances venture survival. Study 2 builds on these findings through qualitative interviews, uncovering the motivations, mechanisms, and tensions involved in help-giving behaviors. Women entrepreneurs actively create social value for their peers through resource-sharing, mentoring, and collaboration, even as they navigate struggles for their own survival. Our findings reveal that help-giving is driven by both instrumental motivations—such as leveraging shared networks for mutual benefit—and moral motivations rooted in solidarity and ethical commitment. This dual motivation demonstrates the complex dynamic of women’s entrepreneurship in resource-scarce environments, where helping peers is both a survival strategy and a pathway to fostering community resilience. By highlighting women’s active support-giving roles, this research offers insights for developing policies that empower women entrepreneurs in disadvantaged contexts. Show more