Why Women Claim to Be Less Entrepreneurial than Men

This chapter analyzes the differences in entrepreneurial intent between males and females, based on a study carried out on 1,210 students from public universities in the Madrid and greater Madrid area (Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid). Entrepreneurial initiative was measured in terms of basic impulses, encompassing feasibility, desirability, personal effort and detection skills when seeking out business opportunities. A comparative study of the profiles used frequently in specialized literature was taken into account in order to explain the differences in intent. These profiles included kindness, the need for achievement, risk, openness, tolerance for ambiguity, inner control and neuroticism. In addition, the Theory of Values by Schwartz was also taken into account prior to the study. Higher order values were considered, such as self-transcendence, conservation, openness to change and self-enhancement, although these values were subsequently discarded since no significant differences by gender could be found. t-Tests were then conducted on two independent samples to determine gender differences in personality profiles and determine influence when it came to expressing an intention to set up their own business. The following results demonstrate valid empirical evidence as to why males reported a higher entrepreneurial tendency rather than females.