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

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.