RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Cultural influences on the gender gap in entrepreneurship: social hierarchy and tradition
A1 Barrero Ahedo, Jesús P.
A1 Delgado García, Juan Bautista
K1 Gender gap
K1 Entrepreneurship
K1 National culture
K1 Social hierarchy
K1 Tradition
K1 Equality policies
K1 Discriminación sexual
K1 Sex discrimination
AB PurposeThis study examines the impact of social hierarchy and traditions on the gender gap in entrepreneurial intention, providing insights for designing culturally tailored policies to reduce this gap.Design/methodology/approachData from 352 business students across seven culturally diverse countries, including Mediterranean nations (Spain, Italy, Morocco) and South American nations (Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay), were analyzed. Entrepreneurial intention was examined through Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), with Hofstede’s power distance and long-term orientation serving as key indicators of their impact on the gender gap in entrepreneurial intention. Analysis was conducted using the partial least squares (PLS) algorithm with SMART-PLS software.FindingsPower distance negatively and significantly moderates the relationship between the gender gap and entrepreneurial intention, while long-term orientation positively and significantly moderates this relationship. Results indicate that the gender gap in entrepreneurship is smaller in highly hierarchical and traditional societies.Practical implicationsPolicies to reduce the gender gap in entrepreneurship should be culturally tailored rather than universally applied. In egalitarian societies, measures should focus on work-life balance and economic incentives, while hierarchical societies should prioritize eliminating gender stereotypes and structural barriers. Long-term oriented societies should enhance women’s access to financial resources, whereas short-term oriented societies should emphasize entrepreneurial training and education to leverage women’s adaptability and opportunity recognition skills.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by demonstrating how hierarchical structures and cultural traditions shape entrepreneurial opportunities based on gender, reinforcing the need for context-specific policy interventions.
PB Emerald
SN 1450-2194
YR 2025
FD 2025-07
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11001
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11001
LA eng
NO This research was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion research grant numberPID2020-120288 GB- 100//AEI/10.13039/501100011033.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Burgos
RD 28-abr-2026