Gender Differences In Entrepreneurship Research

Despite the countless attempts aimed at defining the concept, among the most remaining prevalent questions in entrepreneurship research is why some people choose to become entrepreneurs while others prefer to pursue conventional employment opportunities (Mitchell et al., 2007). Causes of entrepreneurial propensity identified in the available entrepreneurship literature have been mainly explained in terms of relevant gender differences, degree of exposure to entrepreneurship education/training or entrepreneurial activities (Gerba, 2012), as well as many other individual and environmental factors (Sesen, 2013). Although several researchers have perceived entrepreneurship as an innate behavior (e.g.; Thompson, 1999; cited in Sesen, 2013), several

In light of this fragile socio-political context and these alarming statistics, it becomes important to start looking for other alternatives and ways to support our economy. As Baumol (1968) stated the entrepreneurial function is a vital component in the process of economic growth and disregarding the roles of the entrepreneurs in the economy might negatively affect our ability to attain a considerable part of our historic growth. Furthermore, previous research has proved that there is a positive and significant relationship between entrepreneurial activities and economic growth and that both entrepreneurial activities and human capital do actually account for the higher levels of employment growth rates (Mizan & Nafeez, 2011). This mainly explains governments’ continuous attempts to support and promote entrepreneurial activities among citizens as a way out of unemployment (Rae & Carswell, 2001). In this respect, university students at the beginning of their working lives and careers are believed to be the optimal sample for studying entrepreneurial

Thus, it is very crucial to both recognize and consider the wide array of external factors that trigger entrepreneurial intentions: culture, values, beliefs, past experiences, demographics and education (Quan, 2012; Schwarz et al., 2009). In the early 80’s entrepreneurial education and programs started to spread widely and although the field of entrepreneurship is of short history when compared to other disciplines, it has become extensively spread among academic institutions and business schools around the world. Greater efforts are now being directed towards examining the general effectiveness of such programs taking into consideration the great amount of resources and money invested in them (Heuer & Kolvereid, 2014). As indicated by Schwarz et al. (2009), students’ attitudes are not the only triggers of entrepreneurial intent, taking into account the fact that individuals do actually value and consider environmental conditions when making decisions and choices. One of these variables is education and it has been proven by previous research that students’ perception of the surrounding university environment is one of the main elements influencing students’ willingness to start and run their own businesses where entrepreneurial