Strategic Change: Special Issue Gender & Entrepreneurship Professor Colette Henry (colette.henry@dkit.ie)

Gender & Entrepreneurship: What do we know? 163m women starting or running new businesses 111m women running established businesses Participation varies globally, but gender gap More women engaged in necessity entrepreneurship Wholesale, retail, health, education Men 4 times more likely to start ICT businesses Gender gap in growth orientation (Source: GEM Report, 2017) Entrepreneurs are not all the same!

What else do we know? Attitude to risk Networking Access to finance Knowing a business owner Family responsibilities Self-efficacy Growth perceptions

Example: Ireland in 2017 TEA rate for women = 7.3 Ireland ranks 6th highest of 20 European countries 9 in every 100 people are starting a business or have started one recently 26,000 people report being involved in starting a business 128,000 established business owners Most have an international orientation (Source: GEM Report, 2017) TEA rate for women = 7.3 [UK 5.6; US 10.5; Germany 3.1] Men are twice as likely as women to become entrepreneurs 9,800 women NBOs (17,000 men) 25% women (75% men) Women entrepreneurs less likely to secure investment (Source: GEM Report, 2017)

In the entrepreneurship literature – gender typically means ‘women’s entrepreneurship’ Nearly 40 years of literature Characteristics, challenges, performance Male/female comparative studies

Some new perspectives on gender & entrepreneurship? 1. (Re-)Conceptualising the gender perspective in entrepreneurship 2. Context 3. Resource acquisition and mobilisation (i.e. finance) 4. The influence of gender on the entrepreneurial ecosystem 5. Challenges and opportunities in entrepreneurship 6. Business model innovation and leadership style