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Explaining female and male entrepreneurship at the country level

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  • Ingrid Verheul
  • Andre van Stel
  • Roy Thurik

Abstract

This study aims at explaining female and male entrepreneurship across countries. Explanatory variables are derived from three streams of literature, including the literature on the determinants of entrepreneurship, the literature on female labor force participation, and that on female entrepreneurship. To test the hypotheses use is made of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data, including total entrepreneurial activity rates for both women and men for 2002, as well as a range of prospective determinants derived from standardized national statistics. We find that female and male entrepreneurship are largely influenced by the same factors in the same direction. A remarkable exception is life satisfaction for which we find a positive impact on female entrepreneurship and no impact on male entrepreneurship. The paper pays explicit attention to the methodological aspects of investigating the determinants of female and male entrepreneurship.

Suggested Citation

  • Ingrid Verheul & Andre van Stel & Roy Thurik, 2005. "Explaining female and male entrepreneurship at the country level," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-34, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group.
    • Handle: RePEc:esi:egpdis:2005-34
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    entrepreneurship; gender; determinants of entrepreneurship;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • H10 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - General
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

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