SELF-EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH ASSOCIATIONS IN THE RURAL AREAS OF SIRINICKA ZUPA

In order to empower and become independent in their tending, women have established the associations (the associations for the empowerment of women – AEW). Women in these associations have becoming aware that, if they had performed united, they could radically change their personal lives, their families’ lives, as well as of the communities they have lived in. Therefore, the associations can play a role of giving a woman “a chance” to be independent both in the economic and social sense. This paper aims to show effects of the women’s empowerment in rural areas, i.e. the influence of the AEW on the female entrepreneurship and self-employment. Empirical research was done on a free sample of 420 women from 10 villages in the Serbian enclave Sirinicka Zupa in Kosovo and Metohija by the personal communication technique, i.e. using a questionnaire. The results analysis shows a unique formula for the empowerment of women: self-employment as a goal for the women’s empowerment depends directly from the motive for starting a business (25%), business environment (20.24%), as well as the support of AEW (54.76%).