Do psychological and social factors drive female youth entrepreneurial readiness: the moderating effect of entrepreneurial education

Purpose - Using resource-based theory as a base, this paper aims to analyse the moderating role of entrepreneurial education on the relationship between psychological (perseverance and fear of failure) and social (family support and role models) factors as they related to entrepreneurial readiness among female youth. Design/methodology/approach - A sample of 1914 female youth who have pursued a formal entrepreneurial course was used to understand the relationship and its impact on entrepreneurial readiness. Liner regression technique was used to understand the hypotheses set for the study. Findings - The results signify a positive impact of perseverance and family support for entrepreneurial readiness, while that of fear of failure was negative, role models were positive but non-significant. Entrepreneurial education was key for enhancing psychological and social factors abilities for female youth entrepreneurial readiness. Research limitations/implications - The cross-sectional data collected from females in an urban area makes the generalisation of the findings challenging. Practical implications - Policymakers and academia are to be cognizant of the fact that formal entrepreneurial education is a contributor to entrepreneurial readiness. Originality/value - This study adds to the paucity of research on entrepreneurial readiness of female youth in developing economies like Ghana with the identification and explanation of its antecedents as well as situating it in both resource-based view and social capital theories.