Global Entrepreneurship Monitor: 2004 Report on Women and Entrepreneurship

Abstract

The role women play in entrepreneurial activity in the world economy is examined, as well as the factors that influence women’s participation in this activity.The analysis involves four types of data collection.The first comes from sampling randomly selected adults in the 34 countries examined.Second, interviews are conducted with 50 different experts in each country.These same experts are then asked to complete a standardized questionnaire.Data from international sources such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations are also collected.These data sets are combined and analyzed to produce the measures of entrepreneurial activity discussed. Results indicate that, in every country examined,men are more involved in entrepreneurship than women.The greatest gap between the genders occurs in middle-income countries.The driving force behind women’s decisions to pursue entrepreneurial activity is the lack of other job opportunities. This is especially true in low-income nations.However, no matter the income level of the country, women who have confidence and are able to perceive business opportunities are more likely to start a new business.These new businesses tend to target existing markets, use known technology, and utilize less start-up capital, which indicates that women are more conservative in their entrepreneurial activity. (SRD)