What Are the Barriers Impeding Female Graduates in Higher Education from Pursuing Entrepreneurship in China? An Investigation from a Theory of Planned Behaviour Perspective.

Abstract

This study investigates the obstacles encountered by female graduates in China's higher education system when considering entrepreneurship by employing the Theory of Planned Behaviour as an analytical framework. Although entrepreneurship is widely acknowledged as crucial for economic and personal growth, gender inequalities remain, with women being severely underrepresented. The primary objective of this study is to gain insight into the underlying reasons behind the reluctance of female university students, specifically in China, to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. In this study, we conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with female university students from different majors to identify the key barriers that discourage them from starting their businesses. The factors discovered are instrumental and affective attitudes towards entrepreneurship, subjective norms (family, friends, teachers, and others), and perceived behavioural control (encompassing past experiences, second-hand information, and anticipated obstacles). The results showed that a conservative familial atmosphere, risk-averse cultural norms, and limited access to helpful resources and experiences in universities are major obstacles. This study enriches the present knowledge by providing a detailed explanation of the gender-specific obstacles in entrepreneurship in the Chinese context. It proposes that interventions at the educational and governmental levels are imperative to promote female entrepreneurship.