Handicrafts

Purpose: Entrepreneurship is considered as the driving force of economic and social growth of societies. Methodology: The present qualitative study is based on grounded theory, while recognizing the dimensions of the rural business space in Kurdistan Province, has identified the factors affecting rural entrepreneurship in this region. Also, in this study, in order to increase the efficiency of policies and plans of rural entrepreneurship development institutions, a conceptual model of extractive factors has been proposed. For this purpose, a group of fifteen rural entrepreneurs, local experts and officials and extra-local experts were selected and studied using non-probability sampling methods, such as theoretical, purposive and snowball sampling. The data were collected using three tools of interview, field observations and review of archival documents and analyzed using open, axial and selective coding. Findings: The study results classified the factors affecting the development of rural entrepreneurship in Kurdistan Province into the following categories: individual, social, cultural, infrastructure, natural and ecological, legal, educational, political and economic institutional factors. Conclusion: In addition, interactive mechanism is reflected according to the structural model of grounded theory with six theoretical components.

In order to improve the quality of women's personal, professional and family lives while addressing financial concerns, it is essential to consider the improvement of women's working conditions from multiple perspectives. In this regard, the research objective was to investigate the impact of working background conditions on the economic welfare of women employed in handicrafts in less developed rural areas. The statistical population includes all female workers in less developed rural areas of Iran in 2025 who are employed in handicrafts sector. The sampling method used was random cluster with a total of 380 samples selected according to Morgan's table. In order to collect the required data, a questionnaire prepared by the researcher was used, which included two sections to assess economic welfare and working background conditions. The results of the study systematically show that the dimensions of "unbiased behavior in work”, "balance between work and life”, and "social support" have the most significant impact on the economic welfare of women engaged in handicrafts. The findings of this study underscore the necessity of implementing targeted support policies to enhance equitable organizational practices, fortify work-life balance, and broaden social support networks as pivotal strategies for enhancing the economic welfare of rural women.