Female entrepreneurs’ cognitive attributes and venture growth in Japan: the moderating role of perceived social legitimacy
International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship
ISSN: 1756-6266
Article publication date: 21 January 2021
Issue publication date: 21 June 2021
Abstract
Purpose
By drawing upon social cognitive and legitimacy perspectives, this study aims to explore the role of perceived social legitimacy as an informal institutional force that moderates the effects of female entrepreneurs’ self-efficacy and entrepreneurial tenacity on venture growth.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a data set of 308 Japanese female entrepreneurs, who are a subject of limited extant scholarly attention, to test the hypothesised relationships empirically.
Findings
Consistent with the unified framework, the study was able to identify that the acquisition of social legitimacy required by female entrepreneurs serves as a crucial safety net under which entrepreneurial self-efficacy and tenacity can significantly affect venture growth.
Research limitations/implications
The study highlights that high levels of entrepreneurial traits alone are not necessarily sufficient to guarantee women’s venture growth. In doing so, this study stimulates the development of theory on the complementary role of the social legitimacy of entrepreneurship in fueling and mobilising the female entrepreneurs’ cognitive resources as the key to venture growth in the Japanese context.
Practical implications
Policymakers should be dedicated to implementing more gender-specific policies designed to continually cultivate women’s cognitive attributes in tandem with the promotion of social awareness to embrace entrepreneurship as a promising career option.
Originality/value
The originality of this study lies in stimulating a debate on the underlying heterogeneity of female entrepreneurs in the performance outcomes of two entrepreneurial cognitive attributes. By integrating the concept of perceived social legitimacy, the study can respond to Miao et al. (2017), who sought further examination of untested boundary conditions in the cognitive characteristics-venture growth equation.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research project was financially supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI, 19K01810) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The authors are profoundly grateful to the participants at the 6th Asian SME Conference in Tokyo, Japan and the 2018 Diana International Research Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand, for their valuable comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Colette Henry (The Editor-in-Chief) and the two anonymous reviewers for a very constructive review process that has greatly enhanced the quality of the paper. All remaining errors are ours.
Citation
Kawai, N. and Kazumi, T. (2021), "Female entrepreneurs’ cognitive attributes and venture growth in Japan: the moderating role of perceived social legitimacy", International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-05-2020-0063
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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