{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,23]],"date-time":"2026-01-23T09:50:59Z","timestamp":1769161859745,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":61,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,22]],"date-time":"2026-01-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769040000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In this paper, we propose an approach to estimate the role of entrepreneurial finance and social capital distribution in crowdfunding (CF) and varieties of entrepreneurial ecosystems after the COVID pandemic for rural women in Pakistan. Primary data were collected from 1,004 rural women. Using SmartPLS, hypotheses were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling. The mainstream tests used for checking the discriminant validity are the Fornell and Larcker Criteria, Heterotrait\u2013Monotrait ratio, Average Variance Extracted, Variance Inflation Factor (VIF), and the factor loadings of each item for each variable. Similarly, the reliability of the data was analyzed through Cronbach\u2019s alpha and composite reliability. The results showed that crowdfunding, social capital distribution, and the variety of an entrepreneurial ecosystem could play a vital role in the entrepreneurial intentions of rural women in Pakistan. Moreover, the distribution of social capital plays a positive role in the variety of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The study also provides a benchmark pathway for social change for rural women in Pakistan following the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing how various entrepreneurial ecosystems can assist them in achieving their business goals by providing a clear roadmap for crowdfunding (CF).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0340966","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,22]],"date-time":"2026-01-22T18:22:51Z","timestamp":1769106171000},"page":"e0340966","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Impact of crowdfunding, entrepreneurial finance and varieties of entrepreneurial ecosystems after COVID pandemic for rural women"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-6103-0476","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Zhikang","family":"Lyu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Natasha","family":"Murtaza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0340966.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jrurstud.2022.06.005","article-title":"Women\u2019s empowerment and the will to change: Evidence from Nepal","volume":"94","author":"M-C Buisson","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Rural Studies"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0340966.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"32","DOI":"10.1111\/poms.13349","article-title":"Innovative technology and operations for alleviating poverty through women\u2019s economic empowerment","volume":"31","author":"CS Tang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Production and Operations Management"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0340966.ref003","first-page":"149","article-title":"Women\u2019s attitudes towards wife beating and its connection with intimate partner violence (IPV): an empirical analysis of a national demographic and health survey conducted in Pakistan","volume":"22","author":"M Saud","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Int Women Stud"},{"key":"pone.0340966.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-73293-0_11","article-title":"Empowering women and girls through education: SDG\u2019s vision 2030","author":"W Saba","year":"2018","journal-title":"World Sustainability Series"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0340966.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"78","DOI":"10.52131\/joe.2022.0401.0062","article-title":"The impact of unemployment on economic growth in Pakistan: an empirical investigation","volume":"4","author":"SZA Shah","year":"2022","journal-title":"iRASD J Eco"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0340966.ref006","article-title":"Effects of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on lifestyle and mental health of students: A retrospective study from Karachi, Pakistan","volume":"180","author":"A Ali","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ann Med Psychol (Paris)"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0340966.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"180","DOI":"10.1007\/s13132-021-00885-9","article-title":"Socio-economic and environmental impacts of tourism on local community in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan: a local community prospective","volume":"14","author":"Y Jehan","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Knowl Econ"},{"key":"pone.0340966.ref008","article-title":"Assessing demographics-based differences in attitude toward honor killings","volume":"37","author":"S Huda","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Interpers Violence"},{"key":"pone.0340966.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1016\/j.esd.2021.07.003","article-title":"Does energy poverty matter for gender inequality? 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