Investigating intersectionality and its influence on information behaviours of women and immigrant digital entrepreneurs in Nigeria: Overcoming social inequalities through information strategies

Abstract

This study investigates how intersecting social identities shape the information behaviours of women and immigrant digital entrepreneurs in Nigeria, addressing systemic inequalities through information practices. Using a qualitative approach, the research analyses interviews with 26 digital entrepreneurs, including seven marginalized women and immigrant entrepreneurs, employing grounded theory and critical realism. Findings reveal that gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religion and socioeconomic status create multilayered barriers to information. Conversely, technology, online communities including WhatsApp groups and mutual support networks emerge as critical enablers, fostering agency and resilience. The study introduces Socio-Informational Stratification (SIS), a mid-range theory highlighting how marginalized entrepreneurs navigate stratified information environments, repositioning themselves despite structural constraints. Through bridging micro-level lived experiences with macro-level structural forces, this study advances understanding of how marginalized groups leverage information to challenge systemic inequities in Nigeria’s evolving digital entrepreneurship environment.