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Research on entrepreneurial intention, particularly among university students, has intensified, with a focus on comparing intentions between genders, highlighting an existing entrepreneurial gap. This study aimed to analyze factors determining entrepreneurial intention among male and female students in Peru through quantitative analysis using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM), integrating Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Business Event Model (BEM) with a survey of 1006 university students. Results indicate men exhibit higher entrepreneurial intention, influenced by factors like current behavior control, personal attitude, and social support, while women’s intention is more influenced by control and personal attitude towards entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship is pivotal for economies, fostering job creation, business model innovation, and GDP growth. Recent years have seen increased entrepreneurial activity among university students, with a focus on gender inclusivity. While historically entrepreneurship has been male-dominated, women are increasingly establishing high-growth ventures, despite facing gender-related barriers such as stereotypes and resource disparities. Efforts by international organizations aim to promote women’s business development in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals. Research delves into the entrepreneurial intentions of university students, exploring gender differences in factors like self-efficacy and social norms. Despite women generally exhibiting lower entrepreneurial intentions, they benefit more from entrepreneurship education. However, challenges persist, including a disparity in entrepreneurial participation between genders. In Peru, studies reveal high entrepreneurial intention among female students but lack comprehensive analysis on determinants specific to this group, indicating a research gap. Further exploration of cultural beliefs and theoretical models is needed to understand gender differences in entrepreneurial intention fully. Conducting comparative studies is crucial for identifying unique challenges faced by men and women in starting businesses.
The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) examines how personal attitudes influence individual behavior, particularly in entrepreneurial intentions, first proposed by Ajzen in 1991. It identifies three key motivational factors: attitudes toward entrepreneurship, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. TPB is recognized as a robust framework for analyzing business intentions and is associated with both attitudinal and control factors affecting the desirability and feasibility of ventures. Entrepreneurial intention, under this theory, reflects an individual’s internal state guiding their actions towards specific goals. Studies often integrate TPB with other models like the Entrepreneurial Event Model (SEE) to broaden understanding, delineating various types of entrepreneurial intentions among university students.
Behavioral beliefs refer to individuals’ subjective probabilities about the outcomes of certain behaviors, shaping their attitudes towards those behaviors, such as entrepreneurship. Normative beliefs, on the other hand, are based on societal expectations and the perceived approval or disapproval of important others, influencing subjective norms regarding entrepreneurial activities. Control beliefs involve perceptions of internal and external factors facilitating or impeding behavioral performance, thus affecting perceived behavioral control.
It is hypothesized that behavioral beliefs positively influence attitudes towards entrepreneurship among university students, while normative beliefs positively impact subjective norms. Additionally, control beliefs are expected to positively influence perceived behavioral control. Personal attitude towards entrepreneurship is seen as a strong predictor of entrepreneurial intention, along with subjective norms, which reflect the influence of important reference groups.
Perceived behavioral control, indicating the perceived ease or difficulty of entrepreneurial tasks, is linked to entrepreneurial intention, as is control over current behavior. Entrepreneurial behavior itself is viewed as a strong indicator of entrepreneurial intention, with social support playing a crucial role in influencing entrepreneurial intentions among university students.
An integrated model of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social Cognitive Theory of Entrepreneurial Intentions (SEE) is proposed to better understand and measure entrepreneurial intentions among university students. This integrated approach considers factors such as attitudes, norms, perceived behavioral control, and social support in shaping entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors.
The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has previously been utilized to compare entrepreneurial intentions between genders. Studies by Santos et al. (2016) and Arshad et al. (2016) demonstrate that socialization processes influence both men and women’s entrepreneurial disposition, with men generally exhibiting higher business intentions. However, Arshad et al. (2016) found that social norms did not positively affect women’s entrepreneurial intentions. Despite this, both studies agree that a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship impacts intentions in both genders. Other research emphasizes the importance of personality traits, with Laouiti et al. (2022) identifying gender-specific profiles associated with high entrepreneurial intention. Gender remains a critical factor in entrepreneurial activities, contributing to the ongoing disparity between male and female entrepreneurs. There is a need for further exploration, particularly in emerging markets. Understanding the interplay between individual beliefs, attitudes, and control regarding entrepreneurship is crucial in fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, especially in university settings.
The study delineates gender-based differences in entrepreneurial intentions among university students, highlighting the need for tailored programs to support entrepreneurship within higher education. Practical implications include designing specific initiatives and policies to address gender disparities and provide adequate support to aspiring entrepreneurs. However, the study’s limitations call for the inclusion of additional factors such as propensity to act and perceived viability, as well as expanding the sample size to ensure broader representation across different regions and institutions. Addressing these limitations in future research will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of gender dynamics in entrepreneurial behavior.
The examination of entrepreneurial aspirations among university students has become increasingly important, given entrepreneurship’s crucial role in economic development and students’ potential as future entrepreneurs. This study, set in an emerging economy, contributes to understanding gender differences in entrepreneurial intentions among university students. While men generally exhibit higher entrepreneurial intentions, the gender gap is not significantly pronounced, likely influenced by sociocultural factors like gender expectations and stereotypes prevalent in emerging economies. The study highlights the impact of gender socialization on shaping entrepreneurial intentions, emphasizing the need for comprehensive entrepreneurial education addressing gender-specific issues.
Men tend to demonstrate greater entrepreneurial intentions influenced by factors like behavior control, personal attitude, and social support, while women experience subjective norms and social support as constraints rather than facilitators. Control and attitude factors, especially control of actual behavior and perceived behavior, are more critical for women. The study emphasizes the urgency of identifying barriers faced by university students, including limited access to financial resources, entrenched traditional gender roles, and the lack of female role models in business. Female leaders play a crucial role in fostering positive attitudes towards entrepreneurship among university students.
The study suggests the importance of investigating entrepreneurial intentions among university students through a comparative approach incorporating other behavior theories to enhance understanding not only in Peru but also in other regions. This approach would identify additional factors contributing to this phenomenon and enable comparative analyses among different countries.
Source:
Ada Gallegos, Alejandro Valencia-Arias, Victoria Del Consuelo Aliaga Bravo, Renata Teodori de la Puente, Jackeline Valencia, Hernán Uribe-Bedoya, Verónica Briceño Huerta, Luis Vega-Mori & Paula Rodriguez-Correa (2024) Factors that determine the entrepreneurial intention of university students: a gender perspective in the context of an emerging economy, Cogent Social Sciences, 10:1, DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2024.2301812