The Role of Formal and Informal Gendered Institutions in Rate and Type of Female Entrepreneurship

Drawing on institutional theory, this research analyses the role of formal and informal gendered institutions on female entrepreneurial activity across countries. Given the call for advancing in the explanation of the female entrepreneurship phenomenon and specifically with an international scope, we adopt a macro-level perspective in order to gain insights about the factors affecting the supply of women entrepreneurs across countries. Besides the overall rate of female entrepreneurial activity, we consider also two forms of women’s entrepreneurship, depending on the motivation originating the business (opportunity vs. necessity). The empirical analysis draws on a merged sample made up of 97 observations at a national level, with data compiled from several sources (GEM, WEF and WB) and corresponding to 2008 and 2009. Our results suggest that gendered institutions are relevant for explaining the level of female entrepreneurial activity in a country, but particularly for opportunity-driven entrepreneurship,...