Not worth it, not for me? Predictors of entrepreneurial intention in men and women

While entrepreneurship is touted as an opportunity for women to exploit opportunities that are often not available in the traditional workplace, the rate of participation in entrepreneurship is lower for women than it is for men. What remains relatively unclear are the reasons that make this so. This study addresses this deficiency by examining two lines of thought related to entrepreneurial adoption: (1) the personal traits thought to contribute to entrepreneurship, and (2) the rational decision making processes that are believed to form a basis for entrepreneurial endeavors. Our results find men and women to be different in both respects, with ambiguity tolerance, internal locus of control, perceived effectiveness of entrepreneurship, and having an entrepreneurial parent all positively predicting entrepreneurial intention for men. For women, perceived effectiveness of entrepreneurship and achievement motivation predict entrepreneurial intention. Women also rate the potential reward of entrepreneurship as significantly lower than do men, possibly because women entrepreneurs objectively face more obstacles than men with regard to obtaining financing and other stakeholder relations. Entrepreneurship is touted as a wonderful opportunity for women. Nevertheless, women’s participation in entrepreneurship is lower than that of men. Across cultures, fewer women than men own and run their own businesses (Fairlie, 2004; Minniti, Arenius, & Langowitz, 2005). The gap between male and female rates of business