From Exclusion to Participation: Digital Competencies and Participatory Finance for Rural Women in Tunisia

Financial inclusion of rural women entrepreneurs is conventionally related to gender issues; yet, it becomes more intriguing if we consider some explanatory factors, namely rurality, context and digital literacy. The present article aims at assessing the crucial drivers of women’s adoption of crowdfunding in an emerging country. A quantitative study using structural equation modelling is adopted to test an extended UTAUT model of crowdfunding adoption. The sample comprises 250 female entrepreneurs active in Tunisian rural areas, a context marked by high female literacy yet persistent barriers to financial access. The results reveal that perceived usefulness, risk and trust influence rural women’s crowdfunding adoption, with information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge acting as a relay for effective contextual influences. These findings imply that ICT knowledge contributes to financial inclusion mainly when it is tied to perceived usefulness, as a primary UTAUT factor, complemented by trust in platforms and risk management. Social influence becomes salient via ICT capacity building rather than through pressure. The study offers, besides the theoretical implications, insights for policymakers to unlock women’s entrepreneurial potential and reinforce the principles of international mainstreaming related to human development, inclusiveness, gender equality and diversity.