Reviewing the gender gap in management and entrepreneurship: environmental factors and co-evolutionary dynamics

Through the systematisation of 63 relevant papers, this literature review adopts a co-evolutionary approach in analysing the environmental factors which enable women's inclusion within business ecosystems. To support equal opportunities and sustainable development, it seems essential to better understand how the main antecedents of the gender gap interact with each other in shaping gender-differentiated experiences in management and entrepreneurship. Results reveal that, to trigger social interaction processes oriented toward favouring women's representation within firms, policy makers should foster the economic development and the minimisation of structural inequalities by mainly leveraging socio-cultural factors. By holistically and interactively investigating the gender gap in business, the present study not only establishes a solid background for the continued evolution of this research frontier, but also offers an integrated framework of policies and practices that encourage female entrepreneurship, facilitate inclusive behaviours on the part of organisations, and generate virtuous circles in the social systems.