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Entrepreneurship plays a pivotal role in societal progress and economic growth, with gender’s influence in entrepreneurial discussions remaining a captivating subject for researchers. This study employs a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 2098 academic papers from Scopus and WOS databases to map the intellectual landscape, identify key topics, and reveal trends in gender discourses in entrepreneurship. By utilizing advanced bibliometric techniques like co-citation analysis and keyword co-occurrence, this research aims to review scholarly discourse on gender and entrepreneurship, guiding future research endeavors. The study unveils four major themes – access to finance, gender inequalities, societal perceptions, and policy interventions – showcasing their evolution over time and providing a foundation for further exploration.
Entrepreneurship is a diverse field of significant interest globally, contributing to economic growth and personal prosperity. Gender plays a crucial role in shaping entrepreneurship, affecting ownership, leadership, and access to resources. Research explores gender dynamics, including questions of equality and their impact on entrepreneurial ecosystems. Historically, women’s economic engagement was limited, but this changed with the feminist movement, leading to increased research on women entrepreneurs (Petrucci, 2020). Topics include gender differences in teams, societal norms’ influence, and access to financing. Additionally, gender intersects with other identities, such as race and nationality. This study employs bibliometric analysis to guide future research agendas, identifying influential authors and research areas, addressing gaps in representation, and supporting evidence-based decision-making. Understanding gender dynamics in entrepreneurship is essential for academics, policymakers, educators, and practitioners, contributing to informed decision-making and fostering further research in the field.
The sociological theory of Social Capital offers a perspective on the intricate networks of connections and resources influencing entrepreneurial experiences. Gender dynamics intersect with Social Capital, significantly impacting women’s entrepreneurial activity. Access to vital resources like knowledge and finance relies on Social Capital, which is unevenly distributed and influenced by gender-based institutions and power dynamics. Female entrepreneurs often face specific social capital challenges due to cultural expectations and traditional gender roles, limiting their access to networks and support. Social capital can both support and hinder women entrepreneurs, depending on their access to networks. The concepts of “bonding” and “bridging” social capital are crucial in understanding gendered entrepreneurial networks.
Social Role theory explores how cultural expectations shape gender roles, impacting women’s entrepreneurial opportunities and decisions. It highlights how traditional gender norms may deter women from male-dominated industries and affect their self-assurance and risk-taking propensity in entrepreneurship. The theory sheds light on societal expectations’ influence on women’s perceptions of entrepreneurship as a viable career option. Gendered entrepreneurship intersects with Social Role theory, illustrating how societal expectations shape women’s entrepreneurial possibilities and obstacles.
The Resource-Based View (RBV) theory examines how resources affect business performance, revealing the complexities of gendered entrepreneurship. RBV helps analyze how women entrepreneurs obtain and utilize resources crucial to business success, such as financial and human capital. It elucidates gender differences in resource access and allocation, shedding light on institutional and cultural influences. RBV offers insights into how external factors affect the competitive advantage of women-led businesses, informing interventions and policies for a more inclusive entrepreneurial landscape.
These theories, addressing societal expectations, resource availability, and institutional effects, provide valuable insights into the dynamics of gendered entrepreneurship. Scholars often integrate these frameworks to better understand the diverse challenges and opportunities faced by female entrepreneurs.
The intersectionality of gender is pivotal in crafting diverse narratives within the realm of entrepreneurship, which manifests in four interconnected clusters. These clusters delve into themes elucidating the current state of gendered entrepreneurship and its potential for societal transformation.
Theme 1 explores gender disparities in business ownership, the impact of social change on gender dynamics, and the intersection of gender with leadership and empowerment. It also addresses the challenges women face in accessing resources and opportunities in entrepreneurship, advocating for solutions to gender inequality.
Theme 2 investigates gendered pathways to entrepreneurial success, highlighting the obstacles women entrepreneurs encounter and the importance of empowerment in overcoming them. Research underscores the need for targeted interventions and supportive environments to level the playing field.
Theme 3 examines the connection between gender and business performance, shedding light on disparities in access to funding and opportunities. It emphasizes the value of diversity in leadership teams and calls for inclusive policies and practices to promote gender equality.
Theme 4 focuses on academic entrepreneurship, illustrating how academia bridges the gap between research and practical applications. It highlights the role of academic institutions in fostering entrepreneurship, translating research into tangible solutions, and promoting collaboration between academia and industry for societal benefit.
In conclusion, this comprehensive bibliometric analysis significantly enhances our understanding of the intricate interplay between gender and entrepreneurial endeavors. Through an examination of academic research publications over time, distinct subject clusters have emerged, each contributing to a deeper comprehension of gender-related issues in the entrepreneurial sphere. These thematic clusters provide a broad framework for grasping the complexity of gendered entrepreneurship, covering areas such as inequalities, identities, social change, pathways to success, business performance, and academic entrepreneurship.
The first cluster delves into the broader social context of entrepreneurship, addressing changing gender roles, cultural norms, and the interaction between identity and business experiences. The second cluster focuses on the unique journeys of individuals in entrepreneurship, emphasizing a shift towards considering diverse paths and offering insights for policymakers and support networks. The third cluster explores the relationship between business outcomes and gender, emphasizing the importance of removing gender-based barriers for realizing the full potential of entrepreneurial diversity.
The fourth cluster highlights the link between entrepreneurship and academia, underscoring how academic institutions can support entrepreneurial initiatives and bridge the gap between research and corporate innovation. Additionally, the study identifies key authors and publications, providing a theoretical foundation for further research and guiding scholarly and practical endeavors.
This bibliometric research carries significant implications for fostering positive transformation and enriching academic discourse. The insights gained can inform educational initiatives, targeted interventions, and more equitable support for businesses and entrepreneurs. By laying a solid groundwork for future research, this study contributes to the ongoing efforts to cultivate an inclusive, diverse, and socially conscious entrepreneurial landscape, addressing complex intersections of identity and emerging trends in gender and entrepreneurship.
Source:
Munmun Ghosh (2024) Exploring gender discourses in entrepreneurship: a bibliometric analysis, Cogent Social Sciences, 10:1, DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2023.2299140