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In recent decades, countries have increasingly recognized the benefits of female entrepreneurship and therefore strengthening women's entrepreneurship becomes part of their long-term strategies. However, despite all efforts, the gap between male and female entrepreneurship still exists. This paper delves into an investigation of the barriers encountered by women entrepreneurs in the European Union (EU) countries. Through a thorough examination of existing literature and empirical analysis, the paper aims to provide an understanding of the obstacles that women entrepreneurs face within the EU context and the policies that have been adopted in response to those barriers. In the empirical analysis this paper investigates the relationship between gender equality and female entrepreneurship. Examining data from 2019 to 2022, we use the Gender Equality Index as a measure for gender equality and the percentage of self-employed women aged 15-64 as an indicator for female entrepreneurship. Contrary to expectations, our empirical analysis reveals not very strong but negative correlation between the Gender Equality Index and female entrepreneurs in EU countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to explore gender variations in entrepreneurship and internationalisation from the perspective of the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm; in particular, the paper explores how differences in the personal idiosyncrasies of both males and females in part account for the variations in export internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach: The study draws on extant literature on the critical success factors in entrepreneurship and internationalisation research (e.g. foreign market knowledge, firm-level technology and firm age) as the conceptual framework to explore the issue. The study is based on 21 male and 17 female export entrepreneurs from Ghana and uses a descriptive research design (i.e. frequencies and chi-square test) to analyse the results. Findings: The results show that the perceptions of male and female exporters differ on key internationalisation success factors based on extant literature. Implicitly, whilst both groups shared a similar degree of basic knowledge on a few export success factors, across most of the other key export success factors, the male counterparts demonstrated a more expanded view compared to the females. The results support the assumption of the RBV theory applied in this study to argue that to account properly for the internationalisation outcomes of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the personality characteristics of the owner entrepreneurs are critical resources which cannot be ignored. Research limitations/implications: In terms of limitation, the study is exploratory study based on non-probability sampling methods using descriptive frequencies tables and analysis of chi-square test and so readers must bear this limitation in mind in interpreting the results to improve on future studies. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the empirical literature by offering a unique perspective regarding how women and men perceive and interpret export success factors and how that impacts on the internationalisation outcomes of women and men. The paper responds to calls by researchers (e.g. Terjesen et al., 2011; Ratten and Tajeddini, 2018; Kuschel and Labra, 2018; Javadian and Richards, 2020) to populate studies on the topic to deepen the present understanding. By using data from Ghana, West Africa, the study sheds a fresh insight on the topic from an under-studied and under-researched geographical context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Academica Turistica is the property of University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism Studies - Turistica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The intersection of gender and entrepreneurship has received growing attention in recent years from academics, practitioners, and policy makers. The current paper reviews research on what influences women's demand for- and supply of entrepreneurial finance, while suggesting a conceptual approach untangling contradictory findings in earlier studies. This is achieved through a systematic literature review of 113 carefully selected papers, published between 1989 and 2019. Specifically, the review includes 77 studies dedicated to female access to finance, 32 studies on female investment behaviour, and 4 studies addressing both. We find that inconsistent findings can be traced to a combination of wide theoretical plurality in one-half of the studies and an absence of theoretical anchoring in the other half, calling for conceptual integration of existing theories with feminist critiques. Accordingly, we propose integrative conceptual frameworks highlighting the roles of explicit and symbolic factors impacting women's access to- and investment of- financial resources. This approach led us to suggest that refocusing research on symbolic and intangible factors may help uncover new associations, otherwise obscured in earlier research. Furthermore, the inclusion of interaction terms with gender-related variables may also help untangle existing inconsistencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface cues such as displays of passion and physical attractiveness can affect crowdfunding outcomes. Yet the efficacy of these cues may be contingent on other attributes of the entrepreneur, such as their gender. We integrate insights from the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion with those of expectancy violation theory to develop and test a theoretical framework in which the benefit of these cues is contingent on the gender of the entrepreneur and expectancies associated with it. Furthermore, we introduce a novel measurement technique to assess individuals' implicit gender-based biases related to passion and attractiveness. Plain English Summary: Among biased investors, crowdfunding pitches work best for passionate male and attractive female entrepreneurs. Crowdfunding is a way for entrepreneurs to raise funds from a large, anonymous pool of amateur investors. To raise funds on these platforms, entrepreneurs create pitch videos to present to potential investors. When crowdfunding first emerged, there was widespread hope that it would open up new sources of funding to groups of entrepreneurs who are often shut out from traditional sources of funding, such as venture capital. But has that really happened? Or do biases that are common among professional investors also work to the disadvantage of these entrepreneurs in crowdfunding? In this paper, we answer these questions by studying the pitches of both male and female entrepreneurs and their impact on funding success. Our findings offer both a cause for optimism and for concern. On the positive side, we do find that crowdfunding can be a viable source of funding for female entrepreneurs. However, this benefit primarily goes to more attractive females. Furthermore, although being passionate in a pitch is generally a good thing, we find this benefit primarily goes to men instead of women. Without being too pessimistic, we find that these results only hold among those investors who hold certain gender-based biases pertaining to passion and attractiveness. Overall, the principal implication of this study is that biases that limit accessibility to traditional sources of funding also operate within crowdfunding. However, traditionally underfunded groups of entrepreneurs may be able to use these to their advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research paper investigates the support system available to women entrepreneurs in Punjab's MSME sector. It aims to assess the extent of support received by women entrepreneurs from their families, friends, and various government and non-government agencies. The study, based on a sample of 204 women entrepreneurs in Punjab's MSME sector, reveals that the development of women's entrepreneurial talent has largely been nurtured through the familial support system in Punjab, rather than through external agencies. Findings indicate that a significant majority of the women entrepreneurs enjoy substantial support from their extended families. For professional guidance, these women predominantly rely on their husbands, family members, and relatives, rather than on external support systems such as banks or government institutions, which often exist more in theory than in practice. Furthermore, a minimal number of women entrepreneurs are aware of government programmes, schemes, or policies designed to aid their development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Family business has been widely discussed in the literature. Still, a holistic approach summarizing the family business concept in entrepreneurship is fragmented to date. This paper aims to explore the multimedia view of family business research in entrepreneurship and finds the key theme discussed by researchers. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, a systematic literature review on family business and its role in entrepreneurship have been conducted. The literature review consists of bibliometric and content analyzes. Bibliometric research offers quantitative insights, whereas content analysis provides the qualitative evaluation of the literature. Findings: The findings suggest that recent research in this area focuses on exploring the role of women entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship in the family business. The literature also finds that because of the nature of family businesses, successors get the opportunity to use their family's network, social status, financing and opportunity toward a well-developed market. Research limitations/implications: This paper may help researchers and practitioners to identify the past and current research trends related to family business and entrepreneurship. Originality/value: The concepts from network theory are applied for content analysis to identify and explore various family business and entrepreneurship literature sub-domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper adds to the literature on female entrepreneurship in the Algarve region in Portugal. We obtained data on the profile, motivations and difficulties experienced by female entrepreneurs and studied the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis on their ventures. Design/methodology/approach: The research resorted to a Case Study approach, along with semi-structured interviews with twenty-four women who create and develop their activity in Algarve. Findings: It was concluded that the presence of entrepreneurs in the family, the influence of networking, and knowledge and professional experience were relevant factors for their entrepreneurial initiative and behaviour. The main constraints identified were: insecurity and difficulties in hiring staff. Regarding the motivations of female entrepreneurs, the need for independence and personal fulfilment stand out, reflecting a predominance of entrepreneurial activity based on the identification of opportunities. The negative impact of the pandemic on the business development of the interviewees, although mitigated by digital tools, was felt globally. Originality/value: As the literature review established, despite being a well-known tourist destination internationally, the Algarve region remains overlooked, especially when it comes to the study and analysis of social and economic dynamics. In the same vein, so has the study of female entrepreneurship in the region. The methodology used in this paper allowed for the creation of a survey that provides new empirical information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With public concerns about fostering the inclusion of women, especially those with low socio-economic status, governments and private entities have started to develop collaborative strategies to improve women's development. One such strategy is collaborations with sharing economy entities, which are online platforms that provide entrepreneurship opportunities for individuals despite geographical and structural barriers. This paper draws on Ostrom's concept of the commons to explore how to foster the inclusion of women as entrepreneurs in the sharing economy through collaboration. Thematic analysis reveals the nature and outcomes of policies geared towards women's development. While previous studies on the sharing economy have noted that the top-down nature of its operations has resulted in individualised gains, this paper highlights the collaboration within these settings – leading to individual and mutual monetary and non-monetary benefits – stemming from a shared digital and traditional commons with context-based ideologies and stakeholder actions. This paper gives practitioners a clear understanding of how they can successfully support and create a context for women's entrepreneurship in the age of digitisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper discusses whether the gender dimension of immigrants influences their entrepreneurial activities in host societies. Human capital theory, social capital theory, and disadvantage theory are used to explore immigrant entrepreneurship and its understanding as a migration research field worthy of more attention. Design/methodology: A systematic review of the literature is used, selecting articles from Scopus, Jstor, Elsevier, Research, Web of Science, Google Scholar databases, Taylor & Francis Online and Google's search engine. The studies obtained between 2000 and 2021 were screened, and only those measuring the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants on the basis of gender were included in the final data set. The revision of the selected paper provides deductive perspectives on a common trend in immigrant entrepreneurship from a gender perspective. Findings: Out of 200 studies, only 20 fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Throughout these 20 studies, it was found that female immigrant entrepreneurs face many challenges in sustaining their businesses based on human capital, social capital, and disadvantage perspectives, as well as obtaining family support for their business activities. In some host societies, immigrant women entrepreneurs face discrimination not only because of gender but also because of discrimination on the basis of race. The dominance of male migrants in the host societies continues. Social implications: Female immigrant entrepreneurs face more difficulties than male immigrants in terms of human capital skills and possessing sufficient social capital skills to create an enterprise. Therefore, the study implies that destination countries(which are defined as those countries receiving immigrants and offering them domocile) should have start-up visa programs, specialized business incubator and accelerator programs, outreach and incentive programs, and other governmental strategies used to draw high-potential immigrant entrepreneurs. Originality/value: In this study, we specifically consider female immigrant enterprises to be as important as male enterprises in supporting the social and economic integration of immigrants. On the other hand, this study also shows the disadvantages female immigrant entrepreneurs face before and after establishing a business and starting their entrepreneurial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being a Women Entrepreneur in India is a path full of challenges as neither the society nor is the family supportive for budding business women. With the educational support and financial assistance provided by government of India, women are performing marvelous in every industry. Despite our nation's efforts to advance women's rights, there are social, cultural, and economic barriers that prevent women from starting their own businesses. The main issue is a lack of an entrepreneurial climate. There are certain blockages such as pressure to adhere gender roles, lack of family support especially to married ones, in the pathway to women entrepreneurship which are being highlighted in this paper. These female leaders are self-assured, charismatic, and risk-takers. Because of their diligence, tenacity, and hard effort, they were able to prevail in this fierce competition. Also, this paper will suggest some solutions to certain obstacles discussed. Different issues faced by female business owners can be eliminated with the help of suitable instruction, rewards, encouragement, and motivation, as well as the moral support of their families and social acceptance of their entrepreneurial ability. In conclusion, in every sphere of life, she has faced off against man and prevailed, and business is no exception. Women entrepreneurs take on demanding roles to fulfill their own needs and achieve financial independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst a surge in startups, the Asia-Pacific region has emerged as the powerhouse of entrepreneurial endeavours. From being a minority to shaping the industries, female entrepreneurs have significantly risen in numbers. Women have crossed the spectrum of micro to high-growth leaders, from backing life to creating wealth, owing to the dynamic surge in the economy of the Asia-Pacific region. This revolution in the entrepreneurship landscape accentuates the determination and resilience of the women redefining the narratives. Yet, while rising as a recognised force, women entrepreneurs are still lagging. This can majorly be attributed to the gender-based deep-rooted stereotypes, inequalities, and attitudes impacting women-led businesses in the region. The paper discusses the rise of women entrepreneurs in the different regions of Asia-Pacific, with a brief illustration of varying government initiatives driving the change to better and inclusive spaces. It also illustrates the trends shaping women entrepreneurship, the challenges hindering the progress of women-led businesses, and the untapped areas that need to be catered to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sustainability is viewed as an encompassing perspective, as endorsed by the international policy context, driven by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aim to examine how women entrepreneurs transform capitals to pursue sustainability, and to generate policy insights for sustainability actions through tourism entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach: Applying qualitative approach, we have generated empirical evidence drawing on 37 qualitative interviews carried out in Turkey, whereby boundaries between traditional patriarchal forces and progressive movements in gender relations are blurred. Findings: We have generated insights into how women entrepreneurs develop their sustainability practice by transforming their available economic, cultural, social and symbolic capitals in interpreting the macro-field and by developing navigation strategies to pursue sustainability. This transformative process demonstrates how gender roles were performed and negotiated in serving for sustainability pillars. Research limitations/implications: In this paper, we demonstrate the nature and instrumentality of sustainable tourism entrepreneurship through a gender lens in addressing some of these SDG-driven challenges. Originality/value: We advance the scholarly and policy debates by bringing gender issues to the forefront, discussing sustainable tourism initiatives from the viewpoint of entrepreneurs and various members of local community and stakeholder in a developing country context where women's solidarity becomes crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to understand resilience in entrepreneurial behavior and the major adversities faced by women entrepreneurs and identify theoretical and empirical bases that support the use of the integrative approach as appropriate to studies of resilience in women entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach: In this exploratory-theoretical study, the authors adopted a narrative review of the literature on Female Entrepreneurship, Business and Resilience. The databases researched were: Web of Science, Social Citation Index and Scopus, of which 52 were submitted to analysis through techniques of comparison and contrast between theory, classical studies and applied research. Findings: The study illuminates the concept of resilience aligned with entrepreneurship and the major adversities of female entrepreneurship. It also indicates the competence of the integrative approach in investigating and analyzing resilience as a complex, functional and emotional phenomenon between women entrepreneurs and their business environment. Research limitations/implications: This study indicates that the integrative approach can offer an explanatory device about the relationships between affectivity and cognition in the resilient behavior of women when encountering difficulties in the entrepreneurial process. It also indicates paths for future research that can empirically prove the degree of these constructs in the resilient behavior of women entrepreneurs, having the difficulties related to the gender stereotype as a point of interest. Practical implications: The contribution to the managerial field is to alert women entrepreneurs about the need to understand the role of affectivity and cognition in facing adversity to strengthen their resilient behavior. Social implications: The contribution to the managerial field is to alert women entrepreneurs about the need to understand the role of affectivity and cognition in facing adversity to strengthen their resilient behavior. Originality/value: This study provides original evidence that cognitive and affective aspects influence women's entrepreneurial behavior with the same degree of importance. Therefore, they must be investigated jointly. This discovery brings relevance to theoretical and empirical studies on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study expands on existing literature by exploring characteristics of female social entrepreneurs, their motivational factors, the challenges they face, and the needed support system in the Nigerian context. Design/methodology/approach: A purposive sampling technique was used to select 11 female social entrepreneurs for the qualitative case study design. The respondents were interviewed, and the data was recorded and transcribed. A thematic analysis was carried out to reduce the responses into themes. Findings: Female social entrepreneurs in Nigeria possess a combination of integrity, transparency, and entrepreneurial traits like knowledge, ambition, and leadership. Their motivations include a primary focus on income and financial stability, coupled with a strong desire to help others, drive societal and community change, and tackle issues like unemployment. Notably, many are motivated by empowering their families and fellow women. Independence plays a significant role in their motivation, manifesting as a desire for flexibility and control over their lives, particularly for mothers. They also draw motivation from societal acceptance, success, appreciation, and respect. Challenges they face include funding limitations, market dynamics, and infrastructure issues common to social entrepreneurs, alongside gender-specific obstacles like inequality and self-confidence issues. Desired support includes funding, improved infrastructure, and gender equality enforcement, with less emphasis on education and training, likely due to their existing entrepreneurial activities. Research limitations/implications: The research has several limitations. Firstly, it is based on a small sample size of only 11 female social entrepreneurs in Nigeria, which may not fully capture the diversity of experiences in this field. Secondly, the findings are specific to the Nigerian context and may not be applicable to other regions or countries with different cultural and economic conditions. Thirdly, the qualitative nature of the research limits its generalizability, as it relies on subjective responses from interviewees. Additionally, the use of purposive sampling may introduce bias, and the cross-sectional data provides only a snapshot, lacking insights into how these entrepreneurs may change over time. Practical implications: The study highlights the need to address gender-specific challenges faced by female social entrepreneurs in Nigeria, such as gender inequality and self-confidence issues. To address these challenges, policymakers, NGOs, and business associations should prioritize initiatives that challenge traditional norms and provide training programs. Social implications: The research emphasizes the importance of addressing gender biases, promoting gender equality, and providing targeted support to empower women in entrepreneurship, which can have far-reaching positive social implications for Nigerian society. Originality/value: This paper enhances our understanding of female social entrepreneurship in the Nigerian context and provides valuable insights into the interplay between entrepreneurship, social leadership, and gender-related obstacles. It also has implications for future research in social entrepreneurship, particularly regarding gender dynamics and socio-cultural influences in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We all agree that it is essential to build an inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem for all kinds of people, particularly minority and women entrepreneurs, as the past studies are clear to demonstrate underperformance of those demographic groups. At the same time, we are only beginning to understand what kind of systemic barriers exist for women or minority entrepreneurs at the regional system level. Furthermore, it requires a different set of knowledge about how we can practically create an inclusive ecosystem. This paper applies the concept of equity planning for the context of economic development. This paper examines a case study of the City of Columbus, Ohio, in 2018–2019 in which the City Government actively promoted to build an inclusive ecosystem for women and minority entrepreneurs. We induce five essential steps that we could learn from this inclusionary practice which provide tangible implications for other city governments, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and other stakeholders of local entrepreneurship systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Applied Economics is the property of Singidunum University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores how gender shapes the everyday experiences of entrepreneurial labour in Greek collaborative workspaces (CWS), highlighting a relatively understudied segment of coworking research. Drawing upon a wider study of collaborative workspaces in Athens, it explores how these spaces, which are the site of an enactment of entrepreneurial subjectivity, present themselves as gender-neutral but rest on highly masculinized assumptions about an archetypical masculine user of the space. Firstly, the article reveals divergence in the ways women and men entrepreneurs experience entrepreneurial labour. Secondly, it identifies how women entrepreneurs struggle to fit into narrow understandings of start-up entrepreneurship and innovation during the early stages of venture capital seeking. It then focuses on the way associations between bravery, risk and entrepreneurship appear in conversations with founders of CWS and are reinforced through their practice. Lastly, it examines how gendered structural constraints are rarely discussed by women start-up entrepreneurs. The article concludes by arguing that gender is not simply undone, but rather rearranged in a coworking landscape which is embedded in a start-up entrepreneurial context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the coping strategies utilized by Muslim women entrepreneurs in the country‐specific context of crises‐laden Lebanon. In so doing, we capitalize on a qualitative interpretative methodology, drawing upon in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews. We present empirical evidence detailing how women entrepreneurs utilize Muslim feminism and various Islamic practices and values as means of coping with crises situations and contexts. We also provide insights into how the doing of gender unfolds as a coping strategy enabled by Muslim feminism in the advent of adversities. Hence, we underscore the importance of approaching religion as a social construct which is performed, as opposed to treating religion as something located outside the spheres of gender and economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the paradoxical impact of political legitimacy by exploring the relationship between legitimacy due to political inclusion by the state and subsequent strategic actions by entrepreneurs in both domestic and global contexts in a transition economy. We argue that political legitimacy conferred by the state affects a firm's strategies in different ways because it is associated with both benefits and constraints. Using a unique dataset of more than six thousand privately owned enterprises in China, we demonstrate that after an institutional change that permitted the inclusion of entrepreneurs into an elite political system (the Communist Party of China) in 2001, private firms became more motivated to invest in their domestic production but less incentivized to form international cooperation strategies. We further find that the impact of the legitimacy from political inclusion on domestic production was less pronounced for firms in places where the market economy was more established and when entrepreneurs are female. For entrepreneurs with past work experiences in the government or in state-owned enterprises, the negative impact of political inclusion on global cooperation was strengthened. These findings have important implications for research on legitimacy, entrepreneurship, and business strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the importance of entrepreneurship for economic development through social and economic transformation, entrepreneurship education and training (EET) is growing throughout the world. The research on EET is also expanding and there is a need to better understand the impact of EET on business performance and its differential effect in men and women. Accelerators are entrepreneurship EET programs. Based on human capital theory, the paper uses Accelerators to assess the impact of EET programs on startup business performance. Given that female entrepreneurs' human capital attributes are different from those of men and that the various components of Accelerator programs have been found to produce a differential effect on women, the paper proposes that Accelerators have the potential to produce a more pronounced positive effect in startups founded by female founders. We test this conjecture by exploring the impact of Accelerators in startup fundraising, in which female entrepreneurs face a significant gap. Our results confirm that female entrepreneurs who go through Accelerators increase their chances of receiving Venture Capital financing and that the marginal effect is larger for female than for male entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to use social capital theory to explain how impoverished women may find success and lift themselves out of poverty. The research addresses three unique, significant areas of study. First, by reviewing relevant theory and research on livelihood creation and social networks, a new lens for examining social capital in the context of poverty is provided. Second, a model is tested examining the role of an entrepreneur's social capital resources on the development of their own livelihood creation and the consequential changes in the entrepreneur's lifestyle. The research finds that weak social network ties are positively related to livelihood creation, with counter-intuitive results regarding lifestyle changes in response to the changes in livelihood creation. Third, the above model is applied to female entrepreneurs, utilizing a sample of women associated with SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association), a network broker and business incubator trade union working in impoverished communities in and around Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite an increase in the share of female-owned existing and new start-up firms in Senegal, there is still wide belief that female entrepreneurs are discriminated against in the credit market. This paper empirically investigates such gender-based discrimination, and the extent to which it might be translated into lower performance. Using firm-level data and a methodological approach that consists of the data envelopment analysis, an endogenous switching regression and a propensity score matching, the paper suggests that there is no such thing as gender-based discrimination, and to the extent that they benefit from credit, female reap equal returns from the funds, efficiency-wise. These results do not however call for the abandonment of gender-biased public policies aiming at promoting access to credit and entrepreneurship, but suggest they be grounded on more robust footings such as managers' education, firms' ownership, sectorial activities, and geographical locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the history of Amélie de Dietrich in her role (1806 to 1855) as the head of one of the oldest family-owned businesses in Europe: the De Dietrich Company. Economic history has long given a very minor place to women entrepreneurs. Recent analyses nevertheless tend to show that women business leaders were not exceptions in the nineteenth century. This paper is a further attempt to bring women entrepreneurs – and their contribution to the industrial take-off – out of invisibility. Amélie de Dietrich took important strategic decisions to adapt the company to the new economic opportunities which arose in the first half of the nineteenth century. Her choices were decisive for the future of the company; what is more, she succeeded in restoring the familial ownership. Drawing on Amélie de Dietrich's own unpublished correspondence, this contribution examines the factors that explain her success in imposing herself as a Maître des Forges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: When examining women's economic activity, it should be emphasised that related issues are a relatively new research direction, and an understanding of the specifics of the subject seems particularly important given that the number of women starting businesses in recent decades has been characterised by a permanent upward trend. The aim of this article is to present - against the background of the literature on the subject and empirical data collected by governmental institutions operating in the European Union - the entrepreneurial activity rate of women in Poland over a ten-year period (2012-2021). Materials and Methods: The article is based on reports and working papers published by Eurostat and the Central Statistical Office (CSO). To calculate the data presented in the publication, mathematical analysis tools were used in the field of comparative research, the occurrence of trends and the indication of existing trends and noticeable increases. Results: Poland's twenty-first position compared to other EU Member States points to unlimited development opportunities and the need to support this economic space at every level of economic activity. This conclusion is reinforced by the statistics achieved by the opposite sex - men - which showed an upward trend over the period studied (2012-2021). This is also confirmed by the value of the calculated median female gross salary, which is lower by EUR 126.2 than the median male gross salary in Poland. Practical implications: A defined indicator of female entrepreneurship will allow recommendations to be tailored for state bodies and local government institutions supporting women's economic activity in Poland as well as in other EU countries with a similar economic structure. Conclusion and summary: Visible discrimination against women appears in the analysis of the average gross salary at different organisational levels in Poland, which can be used as an argument to support and create additional aid programmes to support women's economic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of female entrepreneurship in Serbia is the main topic of this paper. The analysis of entrepreneurship takes into account the underrepresentation of women in the self-employed population. Studies analyzing entrepreneurial intention, self-efficacy, and self-perceived employability similarly show a lower representation of women choosing the professional path of entrepreneurs. Studies on institutional support for women who participate in entrepreneurship programs are rare. Therefore, determining how participation in institutionally sponsored active labor market policy programs influences the growth of female entrepreneurship in Serbia is the purpose of this paper. According to the results of this research, Serbia has a substantial gender difference in self-employment. Less than one-third of business owners are women. Women made up almost half of those taking part in entrepreneurship training. In 2021 and 2022, they received more than half of all subsidies for entrepreneurs. However, these findings do not significantly affect the trend of self-employment in Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Adab / Al-ādāb is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The objective of this study is to provide a general overview regarding the increased inequality due to Covid-19 in various areas and this all had an integrated effect on women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the globe and in Vietnam. Research Design & Methods: The data is collected using various research papers and the reports accessing the inequalities across the world and in Vietnam. The methodology used is compiling the various reports to provide general overview as how Covid-19 has fuelled existing inequalities and providing overview of the situation the women-owned SMEs are facing in this challenging time of pandemic. Findings: The results from the study suggest that the inequalities in various areas have increased such as inequality between and within different countries, employment sector inequalities, gender inequalities, educational inequalities, age-related inequalities and all these has created a wider gap between the barriers faced by men and women across the globe. The women-owned SMEs has found to have the higher challenges in Vietnam as compared to men-owned SMEs. Implications & Recommendations: The current literature identified the increasing inequalities of women in various countries and particular in SMEs in Vietnam. There are several studies conducted in developed countries to determine the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, but there is dearth of studies conducted in Vietnam, especially to study the effect of Covid-19 on the women entrepreneurs. It is important to conduct this kind of study in Vietnam on women SMEs to study the impact of Covid-19 to understand the barriers the women might have faced and how the government can provide the appropriate support to women entrepreneurs in the future which further can help in empowering the women in Vietnam and helping the economy to grow. Contribution & Value Added: This paper provides the general overview of increased inequalities in various areas and in particular women-owned SMEs in Vietnam which is not summarized in earlier studies conducted in Vietnam and hence this study aims to contribute to fill this gap in the literature and provided an avenue for the future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the depiction of decisions to formalize informal firms as rational and ethical, many entrepreneurs in developing countries continue to operate informally regardless of its perceived illicit status. While existing research on why entrepreneurs choose informality emphasizes the economic costs and benefits of such decisions, this often overlooks the realities of the informal economy and the constraints which marginal populations—particularly women—face. In this paper, we use institutional theory and sensemaking to understand the experiences of women in the informal economy and what formalization means to them. We use a qualitative approach to collect data from 90 women entrepreneurs in three different cities in Nepal. In our findings we identify three groups of women with distinctive understandings of formalization—business sustainability, livelihood sufficiency and strategic alignment. Their interpretation of formalization reveals the complex, dynamic, and cyclical nature of formalization decisions. Decisions are also guided by the optimization of social and emotional logics, whereby formalization is conceived differently depending on different life stages, experiences within the informal economy and wider socio-cultural contexts. Our findings highlight the ethical implications of formalization where being a 'good citizen', rather than complying with formal rules and regulations, is about attuning to and fitting in with socially prescribed roles. Our research provides a nuanced view of formalization decisions, challenging idealized and ethical notions of formalization as a desired end state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Entrepreneurship is promoted as a solution to high rates of youth unemployment around the world and especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This paper investigates the potential for youth entrepreneurship to alleviate unemployment, focusing on Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia. Design/methodology/approach: The authors examine who entrepreneurs are (in comparison to the unemployed), using multinomial logit models. The authors compare entrepreneurs' and wage workers' working conditions and earnings. They exploit panel data to assess earnings and occupational dynamics. They specifically use the Labor Market Panel Surveys of 2012 (Egypt), 2016 (Jordan), and 2014 (Tunisia), along with previous waves. Findings: The authors find that entrepreneurs are the opposite of the unemployed in MENA. The unemployed are disproportionately young, educated and women. Entrepreneurs are older, less educated and primarily men. Entrepreneurship does not generally lead to higher earnings and does have fewer benefits. Originality/value: Promoting youth entrepreneurship is not only unlikely to be successful in reducing youth unemployment in MENA, but also, if successful, may even be harmful to youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the tourism industry has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated changes in international travel. This paper draws on interviews with 51 women working in the tourism sector in Tanzania and examines gendered impacts of the pandemic on their welfare, which instigated or accelerated entrepreneurial activities as an attempt to protect women's incomes and security. Women in the study adopted one of three entrepreneurial strategies: they (re)committed to the tourism industry, working on developing their own skills and business ideas; they diversified their business interests to have a 'Plan B' in addition to tourism to safeguard against future crises; or they moved away from tourism altogether, focusing instead on other less volatile sectors. The crisis caused by the pandemic exposed tourism as a risky business and a gamble for many women, who are considering leaving the sector. This represents a significant obstacle for the tourism industry's recovery and sustainability and illustrates some of the limitations of tourism entrepreneurship for supporting and empowering women in the Global South. Priority policy areas for supporting women to remain within tourism are identified to help support women entrepreneurs and ensure their skills and enthusiasm contribute to rebuilding and reshaping the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effect of traditional practices and cultural norms on entrepreneurship and business success in Bangladesh. Using a constructive survey questionnaire, data was collected from 172 businesspersons. Factor analysis and regression analysis were employed to analyze the data. The findings highlight that traditional family structures, gender roles, social hierarchies and traditional business networks significantly influence entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. These factors can either enable or hinder entrepreneurial activities, access to resources and funding, and decision-making processes. The study also identifies challenges faced by entrepreneurs because of traditional practices and cultural norms, such as limited resources for female entrepreneurs and barriers to fair competition. Based on the findings, implications are drawn for policy development, programming within educational institutions and entrepreneurial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to determine the strategic perspective of entrepreneurship among women‐owned enterprises in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India, in light of entrepreneurial and strategic orientations. To check the hypotheses, the authors used primary data collected from a sample of 438 women entrepreneurs of J&K. After the data collection and filtration, statistical tools like factor analyses and structural equation modeling were used. It was found that women entrepreneurs in J&K highly consider innovativeness, proactiveness, risk‐taking abilities, aggressive competitiveness, and autonomy in their enterprises. They take decisions strategically, network with their stakeholders, and exploit their resources strategically in the exhibition of strategic entrepreneurship which involves dimensions of both entrepreneurial and strategic orientations. Leadership, in all its forms, portrayed insignificant results in the present study. This study has presented that the entrepreneurship type prevalent in the region of J&K might be considered more of sustenance than innovative or any other stronger forms. Due to this reason, its contribution to the economy of the state has been insignificant so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the importance of visualization online and the gendering of entrepreneurship in contemporary neoliberal times. We investigate how understandings of entrepreneurship are shaped by online imagery. Applying visual critical methodology, we trace and analyze 248 commercial images. Our analytic work explicates the visual construction of male and female entrepreneurs, leading us to further examine appearance, (in)action, and interaction aesthetics. Through detailed visual analysis, we unpack masculinities and femininities to theorize the resulting gendering of entrepreneurial aesthetics. In doing so, we consider the role of image networks in the reproduction of neoliberal ideals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote women empowerment, entrepreneurship provide economic power meant to increase women's access to economic resources in the households. This paper aims to address the effect of entrepreneurship on specific domains of women decision-making power and how it relates to women empowerment. Furthermore, it examines a specific pathway to better understand whether increased access to entrepreneurship translates into empowerment in intra-household decision-making for tribal women of Bangladesh. One hundred and eighty tribal women entrepreneurs interviewed considering two districts of Sylhet division using face to face interview schedules and Focus Group Discussion. The results generally indicate that four socioeconomic factors as education, personal income, training and association with NGOs, were major to becoming entrepreneurs. In some cases the value of decision goes to the husband; in other cases, all goes to the wife alone; in other cases the value of decisions is shared equally husband and wife. Tribal women become more empowered after entrepreneurship and increased their intra-household decision-making from 0.71 to 1.30. It also found that entrepreneurship had a positive and significant impact on women empowerment in the emerging of tribal economies. It was therefore, suggested that Govt. and other relevant organization should take some initiatives as specific enterprise related infrastructure development, accessibility to loans, enterprise based education, and specific market establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of fostering entrepreneurship is inevitable in poverty alleviation programmes because it is the best way to create capabilities. Nurturing women entrepreneurship in a competent outfit will be a way to fight poverty. Schumpeter's and Kirzner's economic models of entrepreneurship show how women's entrepreneurship should be identified, recruited, mentored and encouraged. So, the notion of eradicating poverty through profit in rural India can be by women entrepreneurs taking up radical and incremental innovation and achieving profitability, self-fulfilments and thus the positive economic outcome. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are vehicles in which women entrepreneurship thrives, are very conducive for rural women. The unique qualities and skills which women entrepreneurs introduce into SMEs constitute a real potential source of innovation for economies. To Schumpeter, while the identification and exploitation of this source of opportunities involve radical innovations, Kirzner's incremental innovations are brought to market and exploited by alert entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how institutional contexts and digital technologies influence women's digital entrepreneurship and emancipation potential in the conflict-laden, Arab country-specific context of Palestine. Drawing on insights from Institutional Theory and emancipation literature, we capitalize on in-depth, semi-structured online interviews with Palestinian women entrepreneurs. Accordingly, we present empirical evidence demonstrating that while digital technologies enabled Palestinian women to launch their enterprises, the unsupportive institutional contexts confined them to home-based, feminine enterprises and subjected them to a toll of additional challenges, health issues and hostility. Our findings challenge the claim that digital entrepreneurship emancipates women by showcasing the context-specific nature of emancipation. This paper advances entrepreneurship research by demonstrating how Arab women's digital entrepreneurship unfolds at the intersection between emancipatory enablers and unique, conflict-laden regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive institutional pillars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topics of gender and entrepreneurship have been of great scholarly interest since the eighties. In this invited editorial, we provide an overview of the evolution of the field of gender and entrepreneurship. Specifically, we consider the evolution of the field by highlighting the importance of context and the need to consider gender in all future research examining' entrepreneurial activity. Drawing on a contextualized approach we provide an overview of the six articles in this curated special issue with the aim of increasing our understanding of women's entrepreneurial activity. Finally, we conclude with some suggestions for future research. We hope this invited editorial will spur deeper research at the intersections between gender and entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's tourism entrepreneurship has been identified as fundamental to meeting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals of both 'gender equality' and 'decent growth and economic growth' but neither entrepreneurship nor sustainability are gender neutral in the tourism industry. Therefore, further research is required into how gender influences sustainable entrepreneurship, providing insights for tourism entrepreneurship policy. In response to a prevalent essentialism in much of the literature, this paper adopts a post-structuralist framework, alongside a mixed-methods approach, to understand the complex role of gender and sustainability at different stages of entrepreneurship. The initial focus is on a survey of 539 tourism students (women and men) which analyses the latent and nascent entrepreneurship stages, while 19 interviews with established tourism entrepreneurs provide further insights into these issues. The analysis focusses especially on the individual characteristics of risk, personal attitudes to entrepreneurship and behavioural control. While broad gender differences are observed, notably in societal perceptions of risk aversion, there is also considerable blurring of the approaches of established entrepreneurs in particular to sustainability and entrepreneurship. If entrepreneurship is to enhance sustainability, policy needs to account for the non-essentialised gendered dimensions that inhibit and enable sustainable tourism entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of Islam upon women's entrepreneurship in conflict zones is woefully absent from the entrepreneurship literature. This is due to the absence of published scholarship about this context rather than the absence of Muslim women's entrepreneurship there. To address the gap in the literature, we offer a contextualized analysis and contribution by adopting an Islamic feminism lens and explore how Islamic feminism empowers women entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial activities and behaviours in conflict zones. We argue that Islamic feminism is a process of 'ijtihad' shaping the business ethics of Muslim women entrepreneurs operating in conflict zones and removing the traditional, patriarchal, colonial and other cultural layers with which Islam has been veiled. The findings from the 16 Muslim women entrepreneurs operating in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine and participating in our study reveal that Islamic religiousness plays a critical role in shaping the Muslim women's entrepreneurial behaviour and their ability to endure the hardships of living in a conflict zone. Within all three research contexts, the participants interpreted and practiced their Islamic religiousness in ways consistent with Islamic Feminism principles and that deviated from patriarchal Islam dominating their conflict zones. This paper contributes to the growing research areas on Islamic feminist foundations for business ethics and women's entrepreneurship in conflict zones by exploring how Islamic feminism empowers women entrepreneurs in Muslim conflict zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Business accelerators facilitate new venture creation, and most research on the subject focuses on the performance of accelerated ventures. This paper aims to understand what entrepreneurs value in business accelerators and how this differs for women- and men-led ventures. The authors suggest that venture growth stage may play a mediating role in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use the resource-based view perspective to develop models of women- and men-led ventures' valuation for business accelerator services. They also draw upon a database of 2,000 US entrepreneurs. Findings: The authors found that, compared to men, women entrepreneurs place greater value on knowledge transfer benefits (i.e. business skills education) but lower value on networking benefits offered by accelerators. However, there are no significant differences in the valuations for these services between genders for high-growth ventures. Additionally, compared to men, women leading high-growth ventures place greater value on access to potential investors or funders. Practical implications: This research serves as a practical guide for accelerator administrators and marketers who seek to adjust their business support offerings based on the value placed for the services by different populations of entrepreneurs. Originality/value: The authors provide a business accelerator user's perspective and highlight differences in valuation of accelerator services by women- and men-led ventures at different stages of venture growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]