Gender, embeddedness and entrepreneurship: gentle sex, strong ties?

Abstract

Men and women have been historically embedded in differentiated social networks. The female trajectory has been conditioned by the presence of strong ties. Such circumstances may have led to peculiar repercussions on women's roles as entrepreneurs. Despite their relevance, studies piecing together gender, entrepreneurship, embeddedness and social networks are relatively new. This paper, drawing on both theoretical insights and quantitative empirical research, attempts to shed light on the phenomenon of female entrepreneurship as it stands against male entrepreneurship. The results suggest that both women and men are embedded in different social networks, and that each of them use their ties in a different way, in so far as their businesses creation goes. Women are relatively more prone to using closer ties to gather information and support. This article offers four contributions. First, at the theoretical level, some new insights offered on the universality versus peculiarities of entrepreneurial behavior. Contributions are also offered, on methodological grounds, including the use of some indicators of embeddedness to analyze and compare the two entrepreneurial groups. At the practical level, by revealing some little-known aspects of the feminine entrepreneurial dynamic, it provides ideas for the formulation of public policy.

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