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The gender-based attainment of education and female entrepreneurship: the European perspective

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  • Aleksandra Gawel

    (Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland)

Abstract

Although in European countries women obtain higher education more often than men, they still comprise about 30% of entrepreneurs. To understand the gender gap in entrepreneurship, the study aims to assess the impact of education on female entrepreneurship in two aspects, as explained by both male and female education levels and by different levels of education (primary, secondary, tertiary). To verify hypotheses, the empirical models are estimated with female entrepreneurship as the dependent variable and with the level of education as the independent one with the panel regression method for panel data for 31 European countries yearly 2000-2019. Results confirm that both male and female education levels impact female entrepreneurship. Female entrepreneurship is positively related to the share of females with higher and partial secondary education, as well as the share of males with primary education. Female entrepreneurship is reduced by the share of females with primary education and the share of males with higher education. There are two aspects of novelty in the paper. Firstly, female entrepreneurship is explained by both male and female education levels as both genders create the social environment for entrepreneurship; female education has a direct impact through the skills and competences, while male education impacts indirectly by influencing the business environment. The second aspect is the assumption that female entrepreneurship is explained by different levels of education (primary, secondary and tertiary), which impact their decisions to enter entrepreneurship.

Suggested Citation

  • Aleksandra Gawel, 2021. "The gender-based attainment of education and female entrepreneurship: the European perspective," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 8(4), pages 403-417, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ssi:jouesi:v:8:y:2021:i:4:p:403-417
    DOI: 10.9770/jesi.2021.8.4(24)
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Matthew R. Marvel & Justin L. Davis & Curtis R. Sproul, 2016. "Human Capital and Entrepreneurship Research: A Critical Review and Future Directions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(3), pages 599-626, May.
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    3. Maria Karamessini & Elias Ioakimoglou, 2007. "Wage determination and the gender pay gap: A feminist political economy analysis and decomposition," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 31-66.
    4. Nada Kobeissi, 2010. "Gender factors and female entrepreneurship: International evidence and policy implications," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-35, March.
    5. Jennifer M. I. Loh & Rayini Dahesihsari, 2013. "Resilience And Economic Empowerment: A Qualitative Investigation Of Entrepreneurial Indonesian Women," Journal of Enterprising Culture (JEC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(01), pages 107-121.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pau Sendra-Pons & Sara Belarbi-Muñoz & Dolores Garzón & Alicia Mas-Tur, 2022. "Cross-country differences in drivers of female necessity entrepreneurship," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 16(4), pages 971-989, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    female entrepreneurship; female education levels; male education levels; European countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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