The important role of women in rural development has been brought repeatedly to notice
in the literature, but the role of women entrepreneurs in rural development is a more novel
issue. Rural tourism has provided a fundamental opportunity for women to join the job
market and earn recognition of their economic independence and professional status, but
little evidence exists of the real impact of rural tourism businesses run by women. The
objective of this research therefore is to evaluate the economic situation of women rural
tourism entrepreneurs, determining what variables affect the probability that a woman
owner or manager will earn her basic or fundamental income from running tourist accommodation
(a country cottage). The results confirm that running rural tourist accommodation
normally brings in supplementary income, although the rural environment seems
to be witnessing the rise of a new profile in female entrepreneurs, where there is less
dependence on the traditional family structure and greater proximity to both personal
and economic independence.
Keywords: Women, entrepreneurship, rural tourism, rural development, profile of women
entrepreneurs, logit model.