Borders and Businesses: Intersectional Resilience, Entrepreneurship and Health Promotion Among Immigrant Women in the Post-Pandemic Global South

TL;DR

This paper explores how immigrant women in the Global South use entrepreneurship to build resilience and improve mental health amid economic and social challenges, especially after the pandemic.

Contribution

The paper introduces an intersectional framework linking entrepreneurship, mental health, and structural inequalities to advocate for holistic public health policies.

Findings

Entrepreneurship among immigrant women is linked to mental health and psychosocial resilience in vulnerable contexts.

Structural factors like economic exclusion and social hostility hinder formal market integration for immigrant women.

Collective strategies and supportive policies can reduce stress and promote health through entrepreneurship.

Abstract

Public health relevance—How does this work relate to a public health issue?
Women’s entrepreneurship in vulnerable contexts is directly linked to mental health, stress exposure, and psychosocial well-being in the Global South.Economic exclusion, informality, and lack of social protection act as structural social determinants of health for immigrant women.

Women’s entrepreneurship in vulnerable contexts is directly linked to mental health, stress exposure, and psychosocial well-being in the Global South.

Economic exclusion, informality, and lack of social protection act as structural social determinants of health for immigrant women.

Public health significance—Why is this work of significance to public health?
Integrating entrepreneurship support with mental health and social policies can reduce stress-related health risks and promote resilience among vulnerable women.The paper highlights how intersectional inequalities amplify health disparities during and after public health crises.

Integrating entrepreneurship support with mental health and social policies can reduce stress-related health risks and promote resilience among vulnerable women.

The paper highlights how intersectional inequalities amplify health disparities during and after public health crises.

Public health significance—Why is this work of significance to public health?
Public health policies should incorporate mental health, social support, and collective strategies into entrepreneurship and labor inclusion programs.Health promotion strategies targeting immigrant and vulnerable women must address economic, social, and psychological dimensions simultaneously.

Public health policies should incorporate mental health, social support, and collective strategies into entrepreneurship and labor inclusion programs.

Health promotion strategies targeting immigrant and vulnerable women must address economic, social, and psychological dimensions simultaneously.

This theoretical paper examines immigrant women’s entrepreneurship in the post-pandemic Global South. We challenge conventional models that fail to capture economic engagement driven by necessity and survival. Using an intersectional lens, the analysis illuminates how structural vulnerabilities such as—gender, class, income, migratory status, and social hostility—hinder formal market integration. COVID-19 related restrictions exacerbated this precarity, disproportionately affecting informal businesses. We contend that entrepreneurship serves as a pivotal strategy for socio-economic resilience and our findings advocate for holistic public policies that transcend microcredit by integrating psychosocial support, language acquisition, and anti-discrimination measures. Furthermore, we underscore the role of collective strategies and community networks in ensuring business sustainability and shifting the focus toward systemic inclusion. By evidencing how entrepreneurship, when embedded in supportive policies and collective networks, contributes to mental health protection, stress reduction, and psychosocial well-being, this paper highlights immigrant women’s entrepreneurship as a relevant strategy for health promotion and social resilience in the Global South.