The Role of Crafts in the Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas

The aim of the article is to indicate the need for a diagnosis of socio-cultural conditions of running a craft business by women. Local handicraft, culinary traditions, etc. are also an important resource for the development of women’s entrepreneurship with a craft profile. The problems of the article include the ‘common set’ of two research areas: crafts and women’s entrepreneurship in rural areas. The focus of the paper will be on the issue of the functioning of crafts in rural areas based on an empirical analysis of the scale of functioning of craft enterprises run by women. Concurrently, the subject outlined in this way is related to other issues, such as counteracting depopulation of rural areas based on the activation of local entrepreneurship. The potential of women’s entrepreneurship development in rural areas should also be indicated, among others, by tightening cooperation between Country Housewives’ Associations (koła gospodyń wiejskich, KGWs) and crafts organisations. The social effects of cooperation between crafts and KGWs will result in stimulation of entrepreneurship (especially female entrepreneurship) in rural areas, which will then contribute to rural development. These effects support the creation of new forms of small and medium entrepreneurship corresponding to social economy, which are defined as an element of creative economy. This will trigger the process of creating new jobs and may constitute an important mode of support for vocational education, increasing the chance for the local youth to smoothly enter the labour market. Likewise, the generation of local human and social capital resources cannot be overestimated. By mobilising and integrating key actors in the area, it will contribute to better management of local resources.