Abstract
This paper examines the impact of different factors in a pandemic context, on women-owned small businesses in Mexico. The objective was to identify the main factors that enable the development of women-owned businesses in the state of Guanajuato (Mexico) and thus to identify areas for improvement both within and outside their businesses. Using a survey of 182 women small business owners, the authors analyze the effects of the pandemic on business operations, sales, employment, and access to government support programs. The scope was descriptive and comprehensive. The results indicate that the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on small businesses in Mexico, with many experiencing reduced sales, reduced employment, and financial difficulties. The authors also find that government support programs have been insufficient and ineffective in addressing the needs of women small business owners. The paper concludes by recommending that policymakers take a more proactive approach to supporting small businesses, including providing financial assistance, reducing regulatory burdens, and facilitating access to digital technologies. Overall, this paper provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by women small business owners in Mexico during the pandemic crisis and highlights the importance of government support programs in promoting small business growth and resilience.
References
AMLO (2022). Pobreza Franciscana. AMLO. https://lopezobrador.org.mx/temas/pobreza-franciscana/
Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo [BID]. (2019). Emprender para cambiar: las mujeres en la creación de empresas. Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo [BID]. https://publications.iadb.org/publications/spanish/document/Emprender-para-cambiar-las-mujeres-en-la-creacion-de-empresas.pdf
BBVA Research (2011). EAGLEs: mercados de oportunidades. BBVA Research. https://www.bbvaresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/mult/November_2011_BBVA_EAGLEs_Esp_Club_de_Exportadores_tcm346-274777.pdf
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The Forms of Capital. Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. (pp. 241-258). Greenwood Press.
Brush, C.G., de Bruin, A. and 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
Caldera González D.C. y Riesco Villavicencio L.C. (2022). Encuesta del Proyecto: Mujeres emprendedoras en el estado de Guanajuato: Experiencias, vivencias y aprendizaje. Universidad de Guanajuato. https://forms.office.com/r/UQFmNG30aS
Caldera González, D.C., Arredondo Hidalgo M.G., Covarrubias Mojica D.B. (2021). Andanzas y periplos de mujeres emprendedoras. Un análisis en el estado de Guanajuato. (pp.179-200). En Género y organizaciones: visibilizando a las mujeres. UAM-A. http://zaloamati.azc.uam.mx//handle/11191/8876
Connell, R., & Messerschmidt, J. W. (2005). Hegemonic Masculinity Rethinking the Concept. Gender & Society, 19(6), 829–859. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243205278639
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, 1(8). http://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8
Escamilla Salazar, Z. & Caldera González, D.C. (2013). Analysis of socioeconomic and psychosocial factors in nascent female and male entrepreneurs in Mexico. Investigación administrativa, 42(111), 7-19. http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2448-76782013000100007
Gliem, J. A., & Gliem, R. R. (2003). Calculating, interpreting, and reporting Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient for Likert-type scales. Midwest research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and community education. https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/handle/1805/344
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor [GEM] (2019). Global Report. https://www.gemconsortium.org/report/gem-2018-2019-global-report
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor [GEM] (2020). Global Report. https://www.gemconsortium.org/report/gem-2019-2020-global-report
Hablich, F., Bermúdez, CH., & Espinoza, E. (2018). Determinants of entrepreneurial activity in Hispanic American women. Revista Universidad y Sociedad, 10(5), 106-112. http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2218-36202018000500106&lng=es&tlng=es.
International Finance Corporation [IFC] (2018). Acceso al Financiamiento Abre Oportunidades para Mujeres Emprendedoras en América Latina. International Finance Corporation [IFC]. https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/news_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/news+and+events/news/impact-stories/banking-on-women-lac-spanish
International Labour Organisation [ILO]. (2023). Women's Entrepreneurship Development. International Labour Organisation [ILO]. https://www.ilo.org/empent/areas/womens-entrepreneurship-development-wed/lang--en/index.htm
Kabeer, N. (2008). Mainstreaming gender in social protection for the informal economy. Commonwealth Secretariat. https://archive.org/details/mainstreaminggen0000kabe
Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1996). Further examining the American dream: Differential correlates of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22(3), 280–287. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167296223006
Kolvereid, L. & Isaksen, E. (2006). New business start-up and subsequent entry into self-employment. Journal of Business Venturing, 21(6), 866-885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2005.06.008.
Luhmann, N. (1995). Social systems. Stanford University Press.
National Institute of Statistics and Geography [INEGI] (2021). Statistics on the occasion of International Women's Day (8 March). https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/saladeprensa/aproposito/2021/mujer2021_Nal.pdf
Observatorio Estratégico de la Alianza del Pacífico [OEAP] (2018). Primer Informe Programas de apoyo al emprendimiento femenino en la alianza del pacífico. Observatorio estratégico de la alianza del pacífico [OEAP]. https://asem.mx/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5b96f4d0a1270_1er-Informe-MdP-ASELA-OAP.pdf
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD](2020). Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women for Inclusive Growth in Mexico. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]. https://www.oecd.org/about/secretary-general/gender-equality-and-empowerment-of-women-for-inclusive-growth-mexico-january-2020.htm
Powell, W. & DiMaggio, P. (1991). The new institutionalism in organizational analysis. The University of Chicago Press.
PWC (2023). Covid-19 y el colapso del precio del petróleo. PWC. https://www.pwc.com/mx/es/industrias/oil-and-gas/covid-19-y-el-colapso-precio-petroleo.html
Quezada, J., González, E., Reyes, A., Pérez, L. & Toussaint, A. (2020). Entrepreneurship in the State of Guanajuato: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2019 / 2020. Tecnológico de Monterey. https://www.gemconsortium.org/economy-profiles/mexico-2
Salancik, G. R., & Pfeffer, J. (1978). A Social Information Processing Approach to Job Attitudes and Task Design. Administrative Science Quarterly, 23(2), 224–253. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392563
Sarfaraz, L., Faghih, N. & Majd, A.A. (2014). The relationship between women entrepreneurship and gender equality. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 4(6), 45-57. https://doi.org/10.1186/2251-7316-2-6
The World Bank (2021). Using digital solutions to address barriers to female Entrepreneurship. A toolkit. The World Bank (2021). https://digitalforwomen.worldbank.org/access-markets
UNESCO. (2020). Global education monitoring report 2020: Gender report—A new generation: 25 years of efforts for gender equality in education. UNESCO. https://gem-report-2020.unesco.org/gender-report

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Organizations

