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Women's self-employment: An act of institutional (dis)integration? A multilevel, cross-country study

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  • Klyver, Kim
  • Nielsen, Suna Løwe
  • Evald, Majbritt Rostgaard

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the extent to which gender equality disintegrates women's self-employment choice (compared to that for men) and whether this is contingent upon a country's development stage and industries. We rely on symbolic interactionism to argue that employment choices emerge from an interactive conversation between individual and social institutional processes. Using data from 61 countries, we find that overall gender equality is associated with the gender gap in men's and women's self-employment choices and that this association depends upon the country's development stage and industries. Contributions are made to women's entrepreneurship and institutional theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Klyver, Kim & Nielsen, Suna Løwe & Evald, Majbritt Rostgaard, 2013. "Women's self-employment: An act of institutional (dis)integration? A multilevel, cross-country study," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 474-488.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:28:y:2013:i:4:p:474-488
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2012.07.002
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    5. Schmutzler, Jana & Andonova, Veneta & Díaz Serrano, Lluís, 2015. "When culture does (not) matter: role models and self-efficacy as drivers of entrepreneurial behavior," Working Papers 2072/247806, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Economics.
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    7. Saudi‐Yulieth Enciso‐Alfaro & Salma Marhroub & Pedro‐José Martínez‐Córdoba & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2024. "The effect of COVID‐19 on employment: A bibliometric review of a she‐cession," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 3444-3467, July.
    8. Dheer, Ratan J.S. & Li, Mingxiang & Treviño, Len J., 2019. "An integrative approach to the gender gap in entrepreneurship across nations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(6), pages 1-1.
    9. Kim Klyver & Benson Honig & Paul Steffens, 2018. "Social support timing and persistence in nascent entrepreneurship: exploring when instrumental and emotional support is most effective," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 709-734, October.
    10. Calza, Francesco & Cannavale, Chiara & Zohoorian Nadali, Iman, 2020. "How do cultural values influence entrepreneurial behavior of nations? A behavioral reasoning approach," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).
    11. Campopiano, Giovanna & De Massis, Alfredo & Rinaldi, Francesca Romana & Sciascia, Salvatore, 2017. "Women’s involvement in family firms: Progress and challenges for future research," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 8(4), pages 200-212.
    12. Ghauri, Pervez & Fu, Xiaolan & Minayora, Amorettya, 2022. "Digital technology-based entrepreneurial pursuit of the marginalised communities," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(2).
    13. Virginia Barba-Sánchez & Carlos Atienza-Sahuquillo, 2017. "Entrepreneurial motivation and self-employment: evidence from expectancy theory," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 1097-1115, December.
    14. David B. Audretsch & Seham Ghalwash & Iñaki Peña-Legazkue, 2024. "The resilient self-employability of women and senior people after sudden economic shocks," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 1649-1675, September.
    15. Ivano Dileo & Thaís García Pereiro, 2019. "Assessing the impact of individual and context factors on the entrepreneurial process. A cross-country multilevel approach," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 1393-1441, December.
    16. Siri A. Terjesen, 2016. "Conditions for high-potential female entrepreneurship," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 255-255, April.
    17. Elert, Niklas & Sjöö, Karolin & Wennberg, Karl, 2020. "When Less Is More: Why Limited Entrepreneurship Education May Result in Better Entrepreneurial Outcomes," Working Paper Series 1322, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    18. Sonja Sperber & Christian Linder, 2019. "Gender-specifics in start-up strategies and the role of the entrepreneurial ecosystem," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 533-546, August.
    19. Daniela Giménez & Andrea Calabrò, 2018. "The salient role of institutions in Women’s entrepreneurship: a critical review and agenda for future research," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 857-882, December.
    20. Lene Foss & Colette Henry & Helene Ahl & Geir H. Mikalsen, 2019. "Women’s entrepreneurship policy research: a 30-year review of the evidence," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 409-429, August.
    21. Jana Schmutzler & Veneta Andonova & Luis Diaz-Serrano, 2019. "How Context Shapes Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy as a Driver of Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Multilevel Approach," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(5), pages 880-920, September.
    22. Antonio Lecuna & Boyd Cohen & Roberto Chavez, 2017. "Characteristics of high-growth entrepreneurs in Latin America," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 141-159, March.
    23. Sharon A. Simmons & Johan Wiklund & Jonathan Levie & Steve W. Bradley & Sanwar A. Sunny, 2019. "Gender gaps and reentry into entrepreneurial ecosystems after business failure," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 517-531, August.
    24. Kim Klyver & Noel J. Lindsay & Suleiman K. “Sul” Kassicieh & Gary Hancock, 2017. "Altruistic investment decision behavior in early-stage ventures," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 135-152, January.

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