Pub Date : 2021-08-20DOI: 10.1108/ijge-03-2021-0052
C. S. Kogut, Kais Mejri
PurposeThe present study seeks to investigate female entrepreneurship in turbulent times (COVID-19) and contexts (emerging markets).Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth, multiple-firm (five SMEs), cross-country (2 countries – Brazil and Tunisia), cross-region (Latin America and the MENA region) case study based on a mixed embeddedness perspective.FindingsThe study highlights how challenges and uncertainties are managed, what inspires female entrepreneurs and what frightens them. We capture these entrepreneurs' insecurities, self-doubts and creative survival strategies. Our findings reinforce the need for self-efficacy and resilience, as well as the importance of a support network and the ability to “reboot” whenever needed. Despite persistent patriarchal norms and cultures, the women surveyed did not see themselves as female entrepreneurs but as successful entrepreneurs, akin to their male counterparts.Research limitations/implicationsAcademically, the study contributes to the fields of entrepreneurship, female entrepreneurship and crisis management with empirical evidence in new contexts (LATAM and MENA regions) and times (collected during a crisis). The results also contribute in a practical way to female entrepreneurs, policy makers and global agencies.Originality/valueThe study's originality arises from a qualitative cross-country comparison of findings from internationally minded companies from under-researched developing countries and regions at an especially interesting and turbulent time: the pandemic of 2020.
{"title":"Female entrepreneurship in emerging markets: challenges of running a business in turbulent contexts and times","authors":"C. S. Kogut, Kais Mejri","doi":"10.1108/ijge-03-2021-0052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijge-03-2021-0052","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe present study seeks to investigate female entrepreneurship in turbulent times (COVID-19) and contexts (emerging markets).Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth, multiple-firm (five SMEs), cross-country (2 countries – Brazil and Tunisia), cross-region (Latin America and the MENA region) case study based on a mixed embeddedness perspective.FindingsThe study highlights how challenges and uncertainties are managed, what inspires female entrepreneurs and what frightens them. We capture these entrepreneurs' insecurities, self-doubts and creative survival strategies. Our findings reinforce the need for self-efficacy and resilience, as well as the importance of a support network and the ability to “reboot” whenever needed. Despite persistent patriarchal norms and cultures, the women surveyed did not see themselves as female entrepreneurs but as successful entrepreneurs, akin to their male counterparts.Research limitations/implicationsAcademically, the study contributes to the fields of entrepreneurship, female entrepreneurship and crisis management with empirical evidence in new contexts (LATAM and MENA regions) and times (collected during a crisis). The results also contribute in a practical way to female entrepreneurs, policy makers and global agencies.Originality/valueThe study's originality arises from a qualitative cross-country comparison of findings from internationally minded companies from under-researched developing countries and regions at an especially interesting and turbulent time: the pandemic of 2020.","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41533291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-18DOI: 10.1108/ijge-01-2021-0017
Josep Lladós-Masllorens, Elisabet Ruiz-Dotras
PurposeThis study aims to determine the contribution of financial skills to entrepreneurial intentions among women involved in university education.Design/methodology/approachClustering and logistic regression analyses were used to infer the determinants and motivators of entrepreneurial intention in a sample of women students at a Spanish online university.FindingsFinancial and numerical skills could play a significant role in boosting entrepreneurial culture, overcoming reticence and increasing awareness of business opportunities, particularly when women are motivated to increase their autonomy and income. The study offers meaningful implications for policymakers.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research will be needed before these conclusions may be inferred to other settings and circumstances. Comparison with a similar sample of potential male entrepreneurs may also be necessary to deduce the influence of gender.Practical implicationsThe introduction of certain financial content into the education system by governments and policymakers would produce remarkable results on entrepreneurship intention among women.Social implicationsRelational capital and positive social influences also contribute to mitigating the effects of risk aversion, one of the main barriers for potential female entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThe role of financial literacy in entrepreneurial intention among women has scarcely been addressed in academic research. The literature also has paid little attention to the analysis of what motivates women into entrepreneurship, and whether women who decide to embark on a business venture show different profiles. The aim of this study is to contribute to closing these gaps, exploring the effect of cognitive skills, personality traits, contextual factors and motivations.
{"title":"Are women's entrepreneurial intentions and motivations influenced by financial skills?","authors":"Josep Lladós-Masllorens, Elisabet Ruiz-Dotras","doi":"10.1108/ijge-01-2021-0017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijge-01-2021-0017","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis study aims to determine the contribution of financial skills to entrepreneurial intentions among women involved in university education.Design/methodology/approachClustering and logistic regression analyses were used to infer the determinants and motivators of entrepreneurial intention in a sample of women students at a Spanish online university.FindingsFinancial and numerical skills could play a significant role in boosting entrepreneurial culture, overcoming reticence and increasing awareness of business opportunities, particularly when women are motivated to increase their autonomy and income. The study offers meaningful implications for policymakers.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research will be needed before these conclusions may be inferred to other settings and circumstances. Comparison with a similar sample of potential male entrepreneurs may also be necessary to deduce the influence of gender.Practical implicationsThe introduction of certain financial content into the education system by governments and policymakers would produce remarkable results on entrepreneurship intention among women.Social implicationsRelational capital and positive social influences also contribute to mitigating the effects of risk aversion, one of the main barriers for potential female entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThe role of financial literacy in entrepreneurial intention among women has scarcely been addressed in academic research. The literature also has paid little attention to the analysis of what motivates women into entrepreneurship, and whether women who decide to embark on a business venture show different profiles. The aim of this study is to contribute to closing these gaps, exploring the effect of cognitive skills, personality traits, contextual factors and motivations.","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42027115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-17DOI: 10.1108/IJGE-09-2020-0135
S. Stephens, Isobel Cunningham, Y. Kabir
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the impact that a crisis such as that created by COVID-19 has on entrepreneurs. The authors focus on female entrepreneurs and their ability and propensity to continue their entrepreneurial journey. Design/methodology/approach For each respondent (n = 113), data was collected using an online survey. The survey was distributed in April 2020 during a nationwide lockdown and again in September 2020 as the economy reopened. In completing the survey, respondents were asked a series of multiple-choice questions and a series of open-ended questions. Findings The authors present data characterizing the female entrepreneurs, their experience during a time of crisis and the enablers and disablers to the continuation of their entrepreneurial journey. The key findings that emerge from this study include the resilience of the female entrepreneurs, their willingness to contribute to community-based organizations during a crisis and their desire to seek and receive support from their peers. Originality/value The findings from this study provide novel insights with regard to the resources and strategies used by female entrepreneurs during a time of crisis. The data was collected during two periods of great uncertainty for the entrepreneurs and at times when their availability was extremely limited.
{"title":"Female entrepreneurs in a time of crisis: evidence from Ireland","authors":"S. Stephens, Isobel Cunningham, Y. Kabir","doi":"10.1108/IJGE-09-2020-0135","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-09-2020-0135","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the impact that a crisis such as that created by COVID-19 has on entrepreneurs. The authors focus on female entrepreneurs and their ability and propensity to continue their entrepreneurial journey.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000For each respondent (n = 113), data was collected using an online survey. The survey was distributed in April 2020 during a nationwide lockdown and again in September 2020 as the economy reopened. In completing the survey, respondents were asked a series of multiple-choice questions and a series of open-ended questions.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The authors present data characterizing the female entrepreneurs, their experience during a time of crisis and the enablers and disablers to the continuation of their entrepreneurial journey. The key findings that emerge from this study include the resilience of the female entrepreneurs, their willingness to contribute to community-based organizations during a crisis and their desire to seek and receive support from their peers.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The findings from this study provide novel insights with regard to the resources and strategies used by female entrepreneurs during a time of crisis. The data was collected during two periods of great uncertainty for the entrepreneurs and at times when their availability was extremely limited.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46730257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-17DOI: 10.1108/IJGE-06-2021-202
Lene Foss, Colette Henry
[...]policies designed to support new ventures may have a limited impact on employment and growth. [...]a revenue decrease resulting from the Covid-19 crisis has immediate implications for entrepreneurs’ personal incomes and their ability to finance their cost of living. [...]with this SI, we hope to initiate a new strand of research, applying the general crisis literature (Hällgren and de Rond, 2018) to women’s entrepreneurship to help identity a future research agenda. The papers include evidence from the Americas and South-East Asia, regions which have been hardest hit by the epidemic and which have the largest reported increase in incident cases (World Health Organization, 2021).
{"title":"Guest editorial","authors":"Lene Foss, Colette Henry","doi":"10.1108/IJGE-06-2021-202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-06-2021-202","url":null,"abstract":"[...]policies designed to support new ventures may have a limited impact on employment and growth. [...]a revenue decrease resulting from the Covid-19 crisis has immediate implications for entrepreneurs’ personal incomes and their ability to finance their cost of living. [...]with this SI, we hope to initiate a new strand of research, applying the general crisis literature (Hällgren and de Rond, 2018) to women’s entrepreneurship to help identity a future research agenda. The papers include evidence from the Americas and South-East Asia, regions which have been hardest hit by the epidemic and which have the largest reported increase in incident cases (World Health Organization, 2021).","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48476063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-16DOI: 10.1108/ijge-10-2020-0169
S. Pugalia, D. Cetindamar
PurposeTechnology sector is the pivotal element for innovation and economic development of any country. Hence, the present article explores past researches looking into challenges faced by immigrant women entrepreneurs in technology sector and their corresponding response strategies.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a systematic literature review (SLR) technique to collate all the relevant literature looking into the challenges and strategies from immigrant women entrepreneur's perspective and provide a comprehensive picture. Overall, 49 research articles are included in this SLR.FindingsFindings indicate that immigrant status further escalates the human, financial and network disadvantages faced by women who want to start a technology-based venture.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by categorizing the barriers and strategies on a 3 × 2 matrix reflecting the origins of the barrier or strategy (taking place at the individual, firm or institutional level) versus the type of the barrier or strategy (arising from being an immigrant woman and being a woman in the technology sector). After underlining the dearth of studies in the literature about the complex phenomenon of immigrant WEs in the technology sector, the paper points out several neglected themes for future research.
{"title":"Insights on the glass ceiling for immigrant women entrepreneurs in the technology sector","authors":"S. Pugalia, D. Cetindamar","doi":"10.1108/ijge-10-2020-0169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijge-10-2020-0169","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeTechnology sector is the pivotal element for innovation and economic development of any country. Hence, the present article explores past researches looking into challenges faced by immigrant women entrepreneurs in technology sector and their corresponding response strategies.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a systematic literature review (SLR) technique to collate all the relevant literature looking into the challenges and strategies from immigrant women entrepreneur's perspective and provide a comprehensive picture. Overall, 49 research articles are included in this SLR.FindingsFindings indicate that immigrant status further escalates the human, financial and network disadvantages faced by women who want to start a technology-based venture.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by categorizing the barriers and strategies on a 3 × 2 matrix reflecting the origins of the barrier or strategy (taking place at the individual, firm or institutional level) versus the type of the barrier or strategy (arising from being an immigrant woman and being a woman in the technology sector). After underlining the dearth of studies in the literature about the complex phenomenon of immigrant WEs in the technology sector, the paper points out several neglected themes for future research.","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43357235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-13DOI: 10.1108/ijge-10-2020-0159
M. Woodwark, Alison Wood, Karin Schnarr
PurposeBuilding on research about entrepreneurship and social capital, the purpose of this paper is to explore how women founders of technology-based ventures in Canada access and use formal external entrepreneurial networks to build their companies.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on 25 semi-structured interviews with women founders of technology firms and leaders of formal networks.FindingsThe authors demonstrate the positive impact of women only networks (WON) for founders including increasing entrepreneurial diversity, access to financing, and founder credibility and sponsorship. The authors show how women founders use mixed gender and WON to build their businesses and conclude that membership in WON can be a vital step.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size is small and most participants reside in highly urban areas, which may limit generalizability. Findings may not generalize beyond Canada due to cultural and structural differences.Practical implicationsThe research suggests that external WON should be encouraged as important resources for founder identity work which may enable positive change.Social implicationsThis research can assist in designing initiatives that support women entrepreneurs and promote gender parity.Originality/valueThe authors draw on research in women's leadership development to explain how WONs for entrepreneurs help founders create overlapping strategic networks – a unique form of social capital – and serve as identity workspaces for the identity work women founders must complete. The authors argue that the identity work in WONs can be a mechanism by which gender structures are challenged and eventually changed.
{"title":"Standing on the shoulders of giantesses: how women technology founders use single and mixed gender networks for success and change","authors":"M. Woodwark, Alison Wood, Karin Schnarr","doi":"10.1108/ijge-10-2020-0159","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijge-10-2020-0159","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeBuilding on research about entrepreneurship and social capital, the purpose of this paper is to explore how women founders of technology-based ventures in Canada access and use formal external entrepreneurial networks to build their companies.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on 25 semi-structured interviews with women founders of technology firms and leaders of formal networks.FindingsThe authors demonstrate the positive impact of women only networks (WON) for founders including increasing entrepreneurial diversity, access to financing, and founder credibility and sponsorship. The authors show how women founders use mixed gender and WON to build their businesses and conclude that membership in WON can be a vital step.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size is small and most participants reside in highly urban areas, which may limit generalizability. Findings may not generalize beyond Canada due to cultural and structural differences.Practical implicationsThe research suggests that external WON should be encouraged as important resources for founder identity work which may enable positive change.Social implicationsThis research can assist in designing initiatives that support women entrepreneurs and promote gender parity.Originality/valueThe authors draw on research in women's leadership development to explain how WONs for entrepreneurs help founders create overlapping strategic networks – a unique form of social capital – and serve as identity workspaces for the identity work women founders must complete. The authors argue that the identity work in WONs can be a mechanism by which gender structures are challenged and eventually changed.","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45670624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-10DOI: 10.1108/ijge-01-2021-0010
Päivi Siivonen, Katri Komulainen, K. Kasanen, Paula Kupiainen
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the construction of master narratives related to age, gender and entrepreneurship in the context of entrepreneurship education (EE) in Finnish higher education (HE). This is important as master narratives create and limit our understanding of entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachThe data comprises 30 student interviews generated in one multidisciplinary Finnish university. The data were analyzed using narrative positioning analysis to examine what kinds of master narratives are (re)constructed in relation to age and entrepreneurship by Finnish university students and how gender intertwines with age in the construction of entrepreneurship.FindingsThree aged and gendered master narratives were identified: (1) youthful, masculine, startup/growth entrepreneurship; (2) middle-aged feminine, expert entrepreneurship and (3) modest, feminine, senior entrepreneurship. The paper makes visible aged and gendered master narratives and cultural norms related to entrepreneurship in the context of EE and HE. Authors argue that the youthful, masculine startup/growth entrepreneurship is the hegemonic master narrative in the context of EE in Finnish HE. Femininity is mostly excluded from this master narrative.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to critical literature on entrepreneurship as an aged as well as gendered phenomenon in the context of EE and HE. So far research on entrepreneurship as an aged and gendered phenomenon in EE and in the context of HE has been virtually non-existent. Moreover, the theoretical and methodological focus on master narratives in entrepreneurship and EE literature is novel. The master narratives identified in the study show that HE students are not addressed equally in relation to entrepreneurship, but aged and gendered hierarchies are sustained.
{"title":"Aged and gendered master narratives on entrepreneurship in Finnish higher education","authors":"Päivi Siivonen, Katri Komulainen, K. Kasanen, Paula Kupiainen","doi":"10.1108/ijge-01-2021-0010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijge-01-2021-0010","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the construction of master narratives related to age, gender and entrepreneurship in the context of entrepreneurship education (EE) in Finnish higher education (HE). This is important as master narratives create and limit our understanding of entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachThe data comprises 30 student interviews generated in one multidisciplinary Finnish university. The data were analyzed using narrative positioning analysis to examine what kinds of master narratives are (re)constructed in relation to age and entrepreneurship by Finnish university students and how gender intertwines with age in the construction of entrepreneurship.FindingsThree aged and gendered master narratives were identified: (1) youthful, masculine, startup/growth entrepreneurship; (2) middle-aged feminine, expert entrepreneurship and (3) modest, feminine, senior entrepreneurship. The paper makes visible aged and gendered master narratives and cultural norms related to entrepreneurship in the context of EE and HE. Authors argue that the youthful, masculine startup/growth entrepreneurship is the hegemonic master narrative in the context of EE in Finnish HE. Femininity is mostly excluded from this master narrative.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to critical literature on entrepreneurship as an aged as well as gendered phenomenon in the context of EE and HE. So far research on entrepreneurship as an aged and gendered phenomenon in EE and in the context of HE has been virtually non-existent. Moreover, the theoretical and methodological focus on master narratives in entrepreneurship and EE literature is novel. The master narratives identified in the study show that HE students are not addressed equally in relation to entrepreneurship, but aged and gendered hierarchies are sustained.","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42491436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-05DOI: 10.1108/IJGE-09-2020-0148
Sandrine Bonin, W. Singh, Veena Suresh, T. Rashed, Kuiljeit Uppaal, Rajiv Nair, R. R. Bhavani
Purpose The study aims to co-create a “priority action roadmap for women's economic empowerment” based on women's top priorities to charting recovery directions. Doing so contributes to the growing body of knowledge on COVID-19 literature in at least four areas: assessing COVID-19 impacts on women entrepreneurs; mapping these impacts with four interdependent women's entrepreneurial ecosystem components; innovating a co-creation methodology based on remote participatory research; and providing a replicable model to perform action-oriented research in the context of COVID-19 impacts. Design/methodology/approach A co-creation methodology is proposed, combining systems-thinking and remote participatory research to engage women entrepreneurs and institutional stakeholders to prioritize impact, response actions and recovery needs in the wake of COVID-19. A ranking exercise using the analytic hierarchy process was used to derive ranking and assess user inputs' consistency. Findings The study exemplifies the integration of participatory methods and mathematical tool to engage stakeholders in prioritizing recovery work. PARWEE action items ranked by entrepreneurs and vetted by institutional stakeholders cover: access to finances, capacity building, health care, public and private partnership, marketing opportunities and formation of active advocacy groups to voice out women entrepreneurs' needs to institutional stakeholders. Results show a slight difference in the ranking of priority actions between experience owners and fresh starters. Originality/value This study innovated a new co-creation methodology for remotely engaging stakeholders of the women's entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is grounded in evidence and provides a replicable model for performing action-oriented research.
{"title":"A priority action roadmap for women's economic empowerment (PARWEE) amid COVID-19: a co-creation approach","authors":"Sandrine Bonin, W. Singh, Veena Suresh, T. Rashed, Kuiljeit Uppaal, Rajiv Nair, R. R. Bhavani","doi":"10.1108/IJGE-09-2020-0148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-09-2020-0148","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose The study aims to co-create a “priority action roadmap for women's economic empowerment” based on women's top priorities to charting recovery directions. Doing so contributes to the growing body of knowledge on COVID-19 literature in at least four areas: assessing COVID-19 impacts on women entrepreneurs; mapping these impacts with four interdependent women's entrepreneurial ecosystem components; innovating a co-creation methodology based on remote participatory research; and providing a replicable model to perform action-oriented research in the context of COVID-19 impacts. Design/methodology/approach A co-creation methodology is proposed, combining systems-thinking and remote participatory research to engage women entrepreneurs and institutional stakeholders to prioritize impact, response actions and recovery needs in the wake of COVID-19. A ranking exercise using the analytic hierarchy process was used to derive ranking and assess user inputs' consistency. Findings The study exemplifies the integration of participatory methods and mathematical tool to engage stakeholders in prioritizing recovery work. PARWEE action items ranked by entrepreneurs and vetted by institutional stakeholders cover: access to finances, capacity building, health care, public and private partnership, marketing opportunities and formation of active advocacy groups to voice out women entrepreneurs' needs to institutional stakeholders. Results show a slight difference in the ranking of priority actions between experience owners and fresh starters. Originality/value This study innovated a new co-creation methodology for remotely engaging stakeholders of the women's entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is grounded in evidence and provides a replicable model for performing action-oriented research.","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47101787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-29DOI: 10.1108/ijge-10-2020-0171
I. Berguiga, P. Adair
PurposeThis paper aims to address the following research question: Is loan funding to female entrepreneurs in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco affected by self-selection from borrowers or/and discrimination from lenders? This paper sheds light on empirical literature review, which displays mixed evidence.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a pooled sample of 3,896 businesses in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia drawn from the 2013 World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES). Despite selection biases and overweighing, the sample provides descriptive statistics upon gender ownership and gender management (human capital characteristics and financial data). The authors design two regression logistic models with interaction to investigate loan demand and loan granting with respect to self-selection vs discrimination. Female management is disentangled from female ownership with respect to entrepreneurship.FindingsNeither self-selection nor discrimination affects female owners compared with their male counterparts, whereas female managers do self-select themselves. In as much as the WBES female subsample include several biases, the authors eventually emphasise the importance of the non-surveyed informal sector, which includes most (micro-)businesses, and loan funding provided by the microfinance industry to these female businesses. Microfinance fills the gap for working capital but not for fixed assets. The size of the business is a major factor explaining both self-selection and discrimination.Research limitations/implicationsFindings of this study have important policy implications for closing the gender gap in accessing finance. In addition to supply-side factors, demand-side factors should be addressed. Informality also needs to be addressed, as many micro and small enterprises owned or managed by women are informal entities without registration or/and social protection. One way to increase women's demand for financial services is to introduce financial products to meet their needs (e.g. social protection basic coverage). Governments can help develop these new products by strengthening the microfinance industry with a favourable regulatory and institutional framework. The authors also wonder about the extension of this study. Thus, a new cross-sectional analysis of the most recent surveys in the North African region would allow the authors to enlarge the overall sample and measure the evolution of the gender gap over time.Originality/valueSo far, funding female entrepreneurship remained little investigated in these North African countries. Several sampling biases in the WBES – small businesses underestimation and manufacturing industry overweighting, which have been overlooked so far, explain the absence of self-selection and discrimination. In contrast, size plays an important role. Hence, the focus on microenterprises (the informal sector) and the microfinance industry suggests indeed that female entrepreneurs operating in small businesses have to cope with bot
{"title":"Funding female entrepreneurs in North Africa: self-selection vs discrimination? MSMEs, the informal sector and the microfinance industry","authors":"I. Berguiga, P. Adair","doi":"10.1108/ijge-10-2020-0171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijge-10-2020-0171","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis paper aims to address the following research question: Is loan funding to female entrepreneurs in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco affected by self-selection from borrowers or/and discrimination from lenders? This paper sheds light on empirical literature review, which displays mixed evidence.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a pooled sample of 3,896 businesses in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia drawn from the 2013 World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES). Despite selection biases and overweighing, the sample provides descriptive statistics upon gender ownership and gender management (human capital characteristics and financial data). The authors design two regression logistic models with interaction to investigate loan demand and loan granting with respect to self-selection vs discrimination. Female management is disentangled from female ownership with respect to entrepreneurship.FindingsNeither self-selection nor discrimination affects female owners compared with their male counterparts, whereas female managers do self-select themselves. In as much as the WBES female subsample include several biases, the authors eventually emphasise the importance of the non-surveyed informal sector, which includes most (micro-)businesses, and loan funding provided by the microfinance industry to these female businesses. Microfinance fills the gap for working capital but not for fixed assets. The size of the business is a major factor explaining both self-selection and discrimination.Research limitations/implicationsFindings of this study have important policy implications for closing the gender gap in accessing finance. In addition to supply-side factors, demand-side factors should be addressed. Informality also needs to be addressed, as many micro and small enterprises owned or managed by women are informal entities without registration or/and social protection. One way to increase women's demand for financial services is to introduce financial products to meet their needs (e.g. social protection basic coverage). Governments can help develop these new products by strengthening the microfinance industry with a favourable regulatory and institutional framework. The authors also wonder about the extension of this study. Thus, a new cross-sectional analysis of the most recent surveys in the North African region would allow the authors to enlarge the overall sample and measure the evolution of the gender gap over time.Originality/valueSo far, funding female entrepreneurship remained little investigated in these North African countries. Several sampling biases in the WBES – small businesses underestimation and manufacturing industry overweighting, which have been overlooked so far, explain the absence of self-selection and discrimination. In contrast, size plays an important role. Hence, the focus on microenterprises (the informal sector) and the microfinance industry suggests indeed that female entrepreneurs operating in small businesses have to cope with bot","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47172686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-29DOI: 10.1108/ijge-11-2020-0181
N. Gupta, H. Etzkowitz
PurposeThis study aims to understand the socio-cultural context of Indian women's high-tech entrepreneurial experience. Despite a small proportion of women entrepreneurs, and the traditional gender dynamics among the educated middle-classes that appears to be antithetical to female entrepreneurship; women-led high-tech start-ups are on the rise.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with women founders at an academic incubator in an elite Indian Institute of Technology. The study was based on the post-structural feminist approach that women entrepreneurs are embedded in their socio-cultural and institutional context. During data collection, the Coronavirus lockdown provided a natural experiment, highlighting entrepreneurial response to unforeseen obstacles.FindingsIt finds that the context is significant in constructing opportunity, and in navigating challenges of gender and entrepreneurship. Further, in the process of construction of an entrepreneurial identity, women innovators not only reproduce, but also modify their context. Also, the experiences with academic incubator indicate positive results both for gender dynamics and enhancing an emergent entrepreneurial culture.Practical implicationsThe study highlights that women's high-tech entrepreneurship has considerable potential for enhancing women's status in society through the support of academic incubator. This has certain implications for policy.Originality/valueIt provides an insight in to the hitherto neglected issue of women's high-tech entrepreneurship in India, and argues that a study of “social embeddedness” not only highlights constraints for women entrepreneurs unique to that context, but also the potential of women's entrepreneurship in advancing women's agency and gender equality.
{"title":"Women founders in a high-tech incubator: negotiating entrepreneurial identity in the Indian socio-cultural context","authors":"N. Gupta, H. Etzkowitz","doi":"10.1108/ijge-11-2020-0181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijge-11-2020-0181","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis study aims to understand the socio-cultural context of Indian women's high-tech entrepreneurial experience. Despite a small proportion of women entrepreneurs, and the traditional gender dynamics among the educated middle-classes that appears to be antithetical to female entrepreneurship; women-led high-tech start-ups are on the rise.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with women founders at an academic incubator in an elite Indian Institute of Technology. The study was based on the post-structural feminist approach that women entrepreneurs are embedded in their socio-cultural and institutional context. During data collection, the Coronavirus lockdown provided a natural experiment, highlighting entrepreneurial response to unforeseen obstacles.FindingsIt finds that the context is significant in constructing opportunity, and in navigating challenges of gender and entrepreneurship. Further, in the process of construction of an entrepreneurial identity, women innovators not only reproduce, but also modify their context. Also, the experiences with academic incubator indicate positive results both for gender dynamics and enhancing an emergent entrepreneurial culture.Practical implicationsThe study highlights that women's high-tech entrepreneurship has considerable potential for enhancing women's status in society through the support of academic incubator. This has certain implications for policy.Originality/valueIt provides an insight in to the hitherto neglected issue of women's high-tech entrepreneurship in India, and argues that a study of “social embeddedness” not only highlights constraints for women entrepreneurs unique to that context, but also the potential of women's entrepreneurship in advancing women's agency and gender equality.","PeriodicalId":46720,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2021-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44760040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}