The knowledge ecosystem of women entrepreneurs in the era of digital finance mapping: global scholarly evidence
Ann Baby, Nycil Romis Thomas, V. Kalyani, P.V. VijeshPurpose
This paper aims to outline and review the domain of research on women entrepreneurs from 2015 to 2025. Based on a bibliometric strategy, this paper assesses the increase in publications, the journals and authors that have the most impact, geographic and institutional ramifications, citation patterns and topic development. It also analyzes the research networks and their collaboration with emerging conceptual connections between the areas of financial inclusion, microfinance and digital financial technologies. Using mapping measures, the study will aim to identify the structural growth, knowledge and research gaps that characterize the synergy between women's entrepreneurship and digital finance across the world.
Design/methodology/approach
This research created a systematic scholarly output mapping framework (SOMF) that conducted the bibliometric analysis. Figure 1 shows a SOMF that summarizes the method adopted in a systematic process of bibliometric analysis. The framework starts with the initial step of text mining, in which search criteria are specified and information is extracted through the selection of a database source. This research is based on Scopus records, which are further narrowed down by the use of standardization, spellcheck and inclusion and exclusion filters between the years 2015 and 2025. Having implemented the inclusion and refinement criteria, a final list of 352 articles in 193 books was obtained. These comprised articles, reviews, book chapters, conference papers and editorials of a wide range of types of documents. All the bibliographic data, such as authorship, institutional connections, references and citations, as well as sets of keywords were exported to be analyzed. Biblioshiny 5.2.1 was used as the web interface of the Bibliometrix R package to do data cleaning and standardization. The process included elimination of duplicates, name unification of authors and standardization of keywords. Calculations were made regarding descriptive performance indicators such as annual growth trends, citation distributions, authorship qualities and country distribution. VOSviewer 1.6.20 was to be used in order to study the intellectual and collaborative structure of the field. This optimization leads to a useable database, which is refined further through data cleaning and standardization procedures such as eliminating duplicate records and merging author information.
Findings
The data show rapid academic progress since 2020, which aligns with interest in the digital financial inclusion of female entrepreneurs in enterprises all over the world. Research is geographically dispersed, with emerging economies adding up to much output, whereas developed economies have better citation power. From the thematic mapping, it is possible to note that the theme of microfinance and financial inclusion is still at the center, becoming more and more interrelated with the empowerment of women, sustainability, institutional frameworks and digital innovation. The collaboration networks demonstrate a rising global interaction and uneven inter-regional integration. On the whole, the research area is no longer solely focused on access-based finance but, instead, is becoming more of an ecosystem, which highlights structural, institutional and sustainability aspects of women's involvement in digital financial systems.
Research limitations/implications
Although the current research provides an extensive bibliometric review of the literature addressing women entrepreneurs in the digital finance age, it has certain drawbacks. To begin with, it analyses only the Scopus database. Though Scopus is a high-quality database, sources such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, regional databases and other policy reports have been overlooked. Second, the research is restricted to the English-language publications. This selection can underrepresent academic output in non-English speaking areas, in particular Latin America, Francophone Africa and some of Asia. Third, the bibliometric methods are concerned with quantitative trends on knowledge creation and citation, which fail to reflect the substantive quality, the contextual richness or methodological rigor of individual studies. More recent publications might also receive a disadvantage regarding citation-based indicators because of time-lag effects. Lastly, thematic analyses that are based on keywords are dependent on pre-set author-assigned terms and indexing practices, which could be false due to underlying conceptual associations.
Practical implications
The paper emphasizes that policymakers and practitioners should go beyond the simple access to finances to empower women with digital and entrepreneurial skills. Gender-responsive digital finance policies should be designed by governments to incorporate financial literacy, digital skills training and institutional support. Financial institutions and fintech companies have the ability to design inclusive products to meet the needs of women entrepreneurs. Moreover, the collaborative entrepreneurship ecosystems, mentorship networks and market access can help women-led businesses to be more sustainable, scalable and successful in a variety of economic settings.
Social implications
The study highlights how digital finance can transform the way gender equality and social inclusion are achieved. With the ability to participate in economic activities, digital entrepreneurship can improve the levels of autonomy, decision-making and social status of women. Nevertheless, the unbalanced access to technology and the obstacles of socio-cultural background might strengthen the existing inequalities, when not addressed. It is important to promote inclusive digital environments, education and community support systems to achieve equal benefits, decrease gender inequalities and help to make a larger contribution to more generalized societal development and sustainable and inclusive growth results throughout the world.
Originality/value
This research introduces a methodological approach based on the SOMF. It adds conceptualization to a body of literature and determines the research gaps in studies. The results offer practical implications for scholars, policymakers and practitioners in the field, enabling them to develop evidence-based policies that promote gender-responsive digital financial ecosystems worldwide.