Female immigrant entrepreneurship has become a powerful socioeconomic phenomenon due to its significant contribution to the financial, social, and political development of host countries. The literature has been highlighting this theme in recent years, and it is now possible to find many studies on female entrepreneurship and immigrant entrepreneurship. However, there is still a gap concerning studies that address these two themes simultaneously. To deeply explore what the literature has been addressing about this theme, we propose as the main objective of the present study: to review the literature on female immigrant entrepreneurship and identify the main challenges faced by female immigrant entrepreneurs and the main reasons that drive them to start a new business. To achieve this objective, we defined the following research questions: What are the main challenges faced by female immigrant entrepreneurs in the destination countries? What motivations served as incentives for the establishment and projection of their businesses? In terms of study design, a systematic review was conducted, resulting in twelve peer-reviewed articles between the years 2013 and 2023. These studies were collected from two major databases, namely, Scopus and Web of Science. Based on the analysis performed and the proposed objective for the study and the research questions, it was possible to conclude that immigrant women who decide to start a new business in the host country face significant challenges due to various factors that place them at a disadvantage. Furthermore, our findings also reveal that despite facing all these challenges, these women have motivations that drive and encourage them to start a new venture in the host country, with the most cited by the literature being greater financial stability and autonomy. Female immigrant entrepreneurship has become a powerful socioeconomic phenomenon due to its significant contribution to the financial, social, and political development of host countries. The literature has been highlighting this theme in recent years, and it is now possible to find many studies on female entrepreneurship and immigrant entrepreneurship. However, there is still a gap concerning studies that address these two themes simultaneously. To deeply explore what the literature has been addressing about this theme, we propose as the main objective of the present study: to review the literature on female immigrant entrepreneurship and identify the main challenges faced by female immigrant entrepreneurs and the main reasons that drive them to start a new business. To achieve this objective, we defined the following research questions: What are the main challenges faced by female immigrant entrepreneurs in the destination countries? What motivations served as incentives for the establishment and projection of their businesses? In terms of study design, a systematic review was conducted, resulting in twelve peer-reviewed articles between the years 2013 and 2023. T These studies were collected from two major databases, namely, Scopus and Web of Science. Based on the analysis performed and the proposed objective for the study and the research questions, it was possible to conclude that immigrant women who decide to start a new business in the host country face significant challenges due to various factors that place them at a disadvantage. Furthermore, our findings also reveal that despite facing all these challenges, these women have motivations that drive and encourage them to start a new venture in the host country, with the most cited by the literature being greater financial stability and autonomy. References Addo., Ping-Ann. (2017). “‘Is It Entrepreneurship, or Is It Survival?’: Gender, Community, and Innovation in Boston’s Black Immigrant Micro-Enterprise Spaces.” Societies (Basel, Switzerland), 7(3), 1-19; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc7030020 Clark, K., & Drinkwater, S. (2002). Enclaves, neighbourhood effects and employment outcomes: ethnic minorities in England and Wales. Journal of Population Economics, 15 (1), 5–29. Dheer, R. J. S., Li, M., and Treviño, L. J. (2019). An integrative approach to the gender gap in entrepreneurship across nations, Journal of World Business, 54(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2019.101004 Divisão de População, Departamento de Assuntos Econômicos e Sociais, Nações Unidas. Relatório de Migração Internacional 2020. Nova York: Nações Unidas; 2020. Heilbrunn, S., Abu-Asbeh, K. & Abu Nasra, M. (2014), "Difficulties facing women entrepreneurs in Israel: a social stratification approach", International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 6 (2), 42-162. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-02-2013-0007 Maitra, S. (2013) Points of entry: South Asian immigrant women's entry into enclave entrepreneurship in Toronto, South Asian Diaspora, 5(1), 123-137, https://doi.org/10.1080/19438192.2013.721065 Oteyza, M. O. G, Coutado, P. A., Sosa, J. M. (2020). Entrepreneurship among female immigrants. A case study in Madrid. Iberoamerican Journal of Development Studies, 9(2), 30-53, https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_ried/ijds.375.s Portes, A. & Yiu, J. (2013). Entrepreneurship, transnationalism, and development. Migration Studies, 1(1), 75–95. https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mns036 Sarihasan, I., Dajnoki, K., & Al-Dalahmeh, M. (2023). Immigrant entrepreneurship and gender dimensions: A systematic review. Intangible Capital, 19(2), 110-130, https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.207

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Entrepreneurship,Immigrant women,Challenges,Motivations