Battle of the Sexes: Why do Men Outnumber Women in Entrepreneurship?

lastword Battle of the Sexes: Why do Men Outnumber Women in Entrepreneurship? BY SIMONE T. A. PHIPPS AND LEON C. PRIETO E ntrepreneurship is indispensable for a nation because it plays a vital role in both economic growth and social advancement. In general, entrepreneurs contribute to job creation and influence societal standards of living, and social entrepreneurs, in particular, go beyond the pursuit of economic gain to enact positive social change. Therefore, for economic and social reasons, entrepreneurship should be encouraged to aid national development. Unfortunately, however, fewer women engage in entrepreneurial endeavors than men, even though the notorious glass ceiling can be a strong influence, driving them away from corporate life to self-employment. In 2009, the Center for Women’s Business Research reported that only 28.2 percent of all businesses in the United States were owned by women, and only 4.2 percent of all revenues were generated by women-owned businesses in the U.S. Why does this trend still persist? Empirical research findings of the authors of this article shed some light. hey conducted a study using a sample of 1,057 university students, and the results revealed the following: 1. Women had significantly fewer entrepreneurial intentions than men. Entrepreneurial intentions lead to entrepreneurial behavior. If an individual’s goal is to become an entrepreneur, and he/ she is determined to make every effort to make that goal a reality, there is a greater propensity for that individual to become an entrepreneur. If women are indeed less serious than men about becoming entrepreneurs in the future, their lower intentions will result in decreased entrepreneurial behavior compared to their male counterparts. 2. Women perceive themselves to be significantly less creative than men perceive themselves. A useful trait of successful entrepreneurs is their creativity. herefore, creativity is also associated with entrepreneurial intentions. Individuals that believe in their originality and knack for inventive problem solving have a greater desire and resolve to be entrepreneurs, and thus their entrepreneurial goals would be more likely to become entrepreneurial endeavors. If www.diverseeducation.com women do indeed perceive themselves as less creative, it is no wonder that they will lag behind men in entrepreneurship. 3. Fewer non-traditional undergraduate students were women. According to the authors’ findings, although female traditional students outnumbered male traditional students for undergraduate study, male non-traditional students outnumbered female nontraditional students. herefore, possibly due to family and other responsibilities, fewer women older than a certain age were gaining the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for them to succeed as entrepreneurs. If these women feel ill-prepared to be successful entrepreneurs, a likely outcome would be decreased entrepreneurial intentions, and thus, less entrepreneurial behavior than their male counterparts. Certainly, these are not the only reasons, but they provoke contemplation and should evoke action. These researchers believe that it is important to discover and address the reasons for the lack of female entrepreneurs compared to male entrepreneurs, in order to increase the number of women in entrepreneurship. Taking into account the findings from their study, some remedies include increasing entrepreneurial intentions, creativity and creativity perceptions among women. Here are three tips that institutions can consider to help female students become more entrepreneurially minded: 1. Target female students, and prepare them for participation in entrepreneurial pursuits. Business/entrepreneurship incubators can be introduced on campuses, where women can have access to resources to develop entrepreneurial ventures or simply gain the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) they will need for the future development of entrepreneurial ventures. Acquisition of these KSAs will inspire entrepreneurial self-efficacy (i.e., confidence) in their ability to be successful entrepreneurs, and as a result, their entrepreneurial intentions and behavior will increase. 2. Provide opportunities for older, nontraditional, female students. Educational institutions must design and implement more flexible programs to provide non-traditional female students with the tools they need to be more entrepreneurially aware and entrepreneurially prepared. As a result, these women should more easily envision the feasibility of becoming entrepreneurs, and thus, their entrepreneurial intentions and behavior should increase. 3. Embrace creativity and innovation among the institution’s core values. Creativity can be developed. Consequently, educational institutions must embrace creativity and innovation among their core values and consistently provide opportunities for their students, especially their women, to think creatively and use their creative skills. A culture and climate of creativity and innovation must be established and maintained on campuses. Women who perceive themselves as creative and who are confident in their creativity would be more likely to harbor entrepreneurial intentions and to engage in entrepreneurial behavior. D — Simone T. A. Phipps, M.B.A., Ph.D., is an assistant professor of management at Macon State College, Macon, Ga. Leon C. Prieto, M.B.A., Ph.D., is an assistant professor of management at Clayton State University, Morrow, Ga. January 3, 2013 | Diverse 23