Gender Differencies in Early-Stage Entrepreneurship in three European Post- Socialist Countries Cover Image

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Gender Differencies in Early-Stage Entrepreneurship in three European Post- Socialist Countries

Author(s): Miroslav Rebernik, Polona Tominc
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Institut društvenih znanosti Ivo Pilar
Keywords: gender differences; entrepreneurial capacity; motivation for entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial growth aspirations

Summary/Abstract: This paper focuses on differences in male and female early-stage entrepreneurship in Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia. The analysis was performed on two levels: cross-country analysis and inter-country analysis. The paper focuses on three main characteristics of early-stage entrepreneurial activity among adults: entrepre-neurial capacity, analysed through entrepreneurial awareness and risk aversion, motivation for entrepreneurship, by analysing opportunity-driven and necessity-pushed entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial growth aspirations of male and female early-stage entrepreneurs in Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia. Despite sharing a long history of adjoining living, countries differ significantly in various aspects. Significant gender differences were identified within each of the three countries. Some of the most interesting results include: lower entrepreneurial awareness also lowers risk aversion among adults in a country; men are more likely to perceive and exploit business opportunities than women; women are, on average, less likely to start new firms; however, once started, female entrepreneurs have similar growth aspirations as their male counterparts.

  • Issue Year: 16/2007
  • Issue No: 89
  • Page Range: 589-611
  • Page Count: 23
  • Language: English