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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Women Entrepreneurship and Performance

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Research on gendered performance in entrepreneurship is scarce, making the resolution of this issue a relevant research field. Chapter 7 starts by describing what we understand by performance, widening the concept from a financial to an operational or even a stakeholders’ satisfaction level. Next, we present some relevant research that suggests explanations for a gendered difference in entrepreneurs’ performance, mainly in terms of the existence of horizontal segregation, differences in size and in personal attributes of entrepreneurs. The discussion about gender differences in resource possession and accessibility is then introduced as a fundamental concern in this debate, by describing economic, human, social, and symbolic capital as inputs in entrepreneurial ventures. Finally, empirical evidence of the arguments provided by literature to explain gender-inducted differential performance is soaked in the data provided by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) research program, one of the most widespread sources of information on entrepreneurial activity worldwide. According to the information gained through the GEM, horizontal segregation, lower self-confidence and less economic capital are characteristic of female entrepreneurship. Whether these features are in fact explanations for gendered performance keeps unanswered and remains a challenge for further research.