Women’s entrepreneurship and culture: gender role expectations and identities, societal culture, and the entrepreneurial environment

Abstract

Women’s entrepreneurship is increasingly important for creating new jobs and contributing to the social and economic growth of their societies, yet the interplay and nuances of women’s entrepreneurship and culture are currently understudied. In this special issue, we present eight empirical papers that delve into different aspects of the dynamic interaction between gender and culture in shaping women’s entrepreneurship. We provide framework for women’s entrepreneurship and culture research to organize the empirical research herein into three interconnected themes: gender role expectations and identities, societal cultural dimensions, and the entrepreneurial environment. This collection is an important step in integrating research on women’s entrepreneurship and culture and further exploring these dynamic and complex interactions, in different economic and societal systems and across geographies.