The influence of sex and gender-role orientation on the decision to become an entrepreneur

Abstract

Women’s empowerment and economic development are closely interrelated (Duflo, 2012). Specifically, authors such as Maniyalath and Narendran (2016) have provided empirical evidence of a relationship between female entrepreneurship and national income. Traditionally, the literature on female entrepreneurship has analysed this issue from the point of view of biological sex, merely measuring and describing differences between men and women entrepreneurs (Zhang et al., 2009; Piacentini, 2013; Shneor & Jenssen, 2014; Robb & Watson, 2010; Kwong et al., 2012). Thus, studies have analysed differences between the types of businesses created and differences in performance indicators (Alas et al., 2015; Dawson & Henley, 2012; Manolova et al., 2012; Marlow & McAdam, 2013). However, entrepreneurship it is not only an economic event but also a cultural issue. Creating a company is a social behaviour, which also makes and constructs gender (Bruni et al., 2004). New perspectives stand against traditional views on male-female differences and the negative impact of making simple comparisons between business created by men and women (Ahl, 2006). As a consequence, scholars point to the need for an alternative theoretical position in gender entrepreneurship (Henry et al., 2015a). Gender stereotypes influence the preferences and choices of individuals in their career (Cejka & Eagly, 1999, Sanchez & Licciardello, 2012; Martin et al., 2015), with some authors highlighting the importance of gender stereotypes on entrepreneurial behaviour, specifically on the entrepreneurial intentions of men and women (Gupta & Bhawe, 2007, Gupta et al., 2008, 2009, 2013; Mueller & Conway Dato- on, 2008, 2013; Ramam, 2014; Fuentes-Fuentes et al. 2015).