Addressing the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurship
This assignment is an individual assignment.
This assignment requires you to undertake a comprehensive critical literature on your topic area.
The critical literature review should consist of the following section.
Abstract (150 words)
The abstract should provide a synopsis of the whole literature review. It should set of clearly
- The purpose of the review (focus, questions)
- The identified theories, concepts, frameworks, etc
- How these theories, frameworks, concepts, etc., are integrated to guide the proposed study
- The conclusions of the review
- You should use active voice and note that it is not necessary to include references in Abstract.
Introduction
- Be specific in what area/topic your literature review will be focusing on and the significance of the topic
- Tell how the literature review is organised or structured (themes, subthemes, theories, concepts, etc)
- Set out the boundary of your research (firm, organisation (s), sector (s), industry),etc as necessary.
Main Body
This is a vitally important section of the literature review. It is here that you are expected to show high level understanding, analysis, and synthesis of subject specific knowledge on the topic area. This assessment requires you to:
- Provide a historical background of research on the topic area
- Define key terms, concepts, theories that relate to your topic, and if necessary, adopt the ones appropriate to your study focus.
- Review current research context: questions, issues, debates
- Highlight strengths and limitations of the studies reviewed and identify knowledge gap that your proposed study addresses (critiquing)
Conclusion:
- Analyse and synthesise the key review findings and how these would guide your research. You also need to re-state the purpose of your research and the main research questions towards the end of this section.
References
- Use Harvard Referencing style
- Make sure that all the in-text citations are included in the reference list at the end.
Addressing the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurship
By (Student Name)
Institution
Date
Literature Review
Introduction
Entrepreneurship has been hailed as an important aspect of today's economy. Through entrepreneurship, countries can create job opportunities, enhance global competitiveness, create wealth, and spur innovation and creativity (Rusu and Dornean 2019; Wong, Ho, and Autio 2005 Kritikos 2014). Entrepreneurship promises to address most of the economic challenges facing nations, not only in the developing world but also in developed countries (Seelos and Mair 2005). In particular, attention has been drawn to the need to include more people in the entrepreneurship space, especially women, who are a vulnerable group (Kern, 2013). The increasing contribution of women entrepreneurs to economic development has been well documented (Dean et al., 2019). As a result, attention has been drawn to the importance of increasing the participation of women entrepreneurs in mainstream entrepreneurial activities. According to Hechavarria et al. (2019), women entrepreneurs on board, will increase diversity in the entrepreneurial space, and increase female-led businesses, while also lowering unemployment and contributing to economic growth.
Historical background
Women have for a long time been a disadvantaged group. Historically, women have had limited access to education compared to men. The educational disadvantage has served to limit their pursuance of entrepreneurial ventures. Additionally, gender roles have assigned women caregiving and homemaker jobs (Sharma, Chakrabarti, and Grover, 2016). Such a mindset has continued to discourage women from the risk-taking associated with entrepreneurship. Manimekalai, Geetha, and Poulpunitha (2017) argue that women’s work-life balance is challenging because of societal expectations. The perception that women should prioritize family over career limits their ability to venture into entrepreneurship (De Clercq, Kaciak, and hongpapanl 2022). Moreover, access to financial resources remains a major issue making it challenging for women to access the funds needed to start and run businesses. Numerous studies indicate that discriminatory lending practices and the lack of collateral have made it challenging for women to access the security needed to secure capital (Morsy, 2020; Roy and Patro 2022 Aterido, Beck, and Iacovone 2013).
Despite the challenges women continue facing in their entrepreneurial journey, some of them have managed to run successful businesses. These women have gone beyond societal expectations to establish businesses, which continue to impact society. A World Bank report demonstrates that so far women run 20% of companies, which is more common among smaller firms (Hiraga, 2018). A report by the IMF indicates that more than 90% of companies women run are microenterprises (Coverline, 2019). The benefits of female entrepreneurship have been well-documented in the developing countries. Returns from women entrepreneurs can enhance family support (Kevane and Wydick 2001) given that women are engaged in daily family taking compared to men (Cerrato and Cifre 2018; Ferrant, Pesando and Nowacka 2014). Entrepreneurship opens the door for additional resources needed to improve household outcomes. Female entrepreneurship's benefits extend beyond individual benefits to enhancing the well-being of households and hence society.
Definition of terms
To navigate the literature, a definition of key terms is important.
* Entrepreneurship: The process where an individual identifies an opportunity in business and creates a new business to address the issue.
* Gender gap: The difference between the average outcomes for men and women in a particular area. In this case, the gender gap will focus on the outcomes exhibited in entrepreneurship.
* Founding: Starting a new business
* Access to capital: The ability of entrepreneurs to secure external financial sources needed to start and grow an enterprise.
Research questions
To address the factors leading to the gender gap in entrepreneurship, the following research questions will be used: