Title: Family involvement as a catalyst for female opportunity recognition

Authors: Elmar Lins; Eva Lutz

Addresses: Riesner Endowed Professorship in Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Finance, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany ' Riesner Endowed Professorship in Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Finance, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

Abstract: Do female and male entrepreneurs recognise and develop business opportunities differently, and is this gender gap in opportunity recognition still prevalent when family members are directly involved in business foundations? We refer to socialisation and human capital theory to examine whether male entrepreneurs are more likely to recognise business opportunities than female entrepreneurs are and how family involvement influences this relationship. Studying 12,009 new ventures founded between 2005 and 2009 in Germany, we find that women are, indeed, less likely to recognise entrepreneurial opportunities. Furthermore, family involvement increases opportunity recognition for both sexes and this effect is significantly stronger for women.

Keywords: gender difference; family involvement; opportunity identification; opportunity recognition; entrepreneurial opportunity; female entrepreneurship; male entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2017.084091

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2017 Vol.31 No.2, pp.270 - 287

Received: 04 Dec 2015
Accepted: 17 Jan 2016
Published online: 10 May 2017 *

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