Title: Exploring gender issues in entrepreneurship: what about students and recent graduates?

Authors: Maria Rosaria Della Peruta; Marina Maggioni; Francesco Schiavone

Addresses: Department of Economics, Second University of Naples, Corso Granpriorato di Malta, 1, 81043 Capua (CE), Italy ' Link Campus University, Via Nomentana, 335, 00162 Roma, Italy ' University of Naples 'Parthenope', Via Generale Parisi 13, 80132, Naples Italy; ESG Management School, 25 rue St Ambroise, 75011, Paris, France

Abstract: Research on entrepreneurship is a relatively new area. Entrepreneurship is still poorly studied and has a low level of legitimacy in the emerging academic field as female entrepreneurship. Focusing research about entrepreneurship on the intersection of the constructs of individuals, opportunities, modes of organisation and the environment, will define the field and enhance its legitimacy. However, it has been carefully assessed in recent decades. Thus, this research aims to explore the literature on the barriers to practical entrepreneurship, to exemplify the factors that encourage and discourage a business start up and to establish to what extent there is a level playing field in female young entrepreneurship. The findings led us to theorise that the close connection between informal social networks and female entrepreneurship may represent a fundamental element to straighten female entrepreneurship attitude.

Keywords: student entrepreneurship; female entrepreneurship; work climate; social networks; network heterogeneity; women entrepreneurs; gender issues; students; recent graduates; business start-ups; young entrepreneurs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2014.062790

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2014 Vol.18 No.1, pp.59 - 74

Received: 23 Dec 2012
Accepted: 04 Jan 2014
Published online: 18 Jul 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article