Gendered institutions and female entrepreneurship: a fuzzy-set QCA approach
ISSN: 1754-2413
Article publication date: 8 July 2020
Issue publication date: 3 March 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the contextual embeddedness of female entrepreneurship through a focus on gendered institutions. Specifically, it draws upon Scott’s (1995) institutional categories and explores how the three dimensions of gendered institutions combine to explain both a high level of female Total Early-stage Entrepreneurship Activity (TEA) rates and female/male TEA ratios.
Design/methodology/approach
Collecting data from the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association, the World Economic Forum and the World Bank for 63 countries, this study uses the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method to explore causal complexity between the regulative, normative and cognitive dimensions of gendered institutions (conditions) and the female TEA rates and the female/male TEA ratios (outcomes).
Findings
First, this study confirms the complex interactions occurring among institutional components. Second, the results highlight the key role that gender equality in entrepreneurial cognitions plays in achieving high female entrepreneurship. Third, configurations for the high female TEA rates and the female/male TEA ratios share a high similarity.
Practical implications
The study provides policymakers with a holistic viewpoint and alternate solutions with the aim of promoting female entrepreneurship in their respective countries.
Originality/value
The study highlights gendered institutions beyond general institutions, enriching the literature on the gender and institutional determinants of female entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the application of the fsQCA method in the study helps to enhance the understanding of how institutional components complexly interact to shape female entrepreneurship.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: The authors would like to thank the financial support from the National Social Science Fund of China (award number: 16BGL025).
Citation
Li, Y., Wu, J., Zhang, D. and Ling, L. (2021), "Gendered institutions and female entrepreneurship: a fuzzy-set QCA approach", Gender in Management, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 87-107. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-07-2019-0110
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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