Female entrepreneurship in emerging and developing countries: a systematic literature review

Abstract

PurposeDespite the increase in female entrepreneurship literature, very few studies exist that systematize the extant literature, especially in emerging and developing countries. This article fills part of this gap; it maps, categorizes and groups the objectives, theoretical approaches and research methods on female entrepreneurship conducted in one or more of the 155 emerging and developing countries.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted, using Scopus and Web of Science, over a 10-year timeframe (2010–2020). Out of 465 papers, 77 were selected for content analysis.FindingsMost articles focus on understanding women entrepreneurs' challenges, the factors affecting their entrepreneurial performance and encouraging entrepreneurship. Qualitative research was found to be the predominant approach, while mixed studies appeared less frequently.Practical implicationsThis paper sheds light on female entrepreneurship characteristics, including business competence, performance and entrepreneurial orientation. Further, it can help female entrepreneurs to recognize the most relevant aspects regarding performance, the essential driving factors and entrepreneurial motivations, among others.Originality/valueFirst, this paper groups the objectives and the theoretical and methodological approaches that guide female entrepreneurship research. Second, it identifies distinct gaps, grouped and explored using unpublished thematic categories. Finally, the authors propose an extensive future research agenda regarding female entrepreneurship in emerging and developing countries.

How does institutional environment in the digital context affect technology entrepreneurship? The moderating roles of government digitalization and gender

“…Third, this paper enriches the study of technology entrepreneurship from a gender perspective. While the existing literature adequately discusses micro- and macro-level factors affecting female entrepreneurship, such as the motivation, performance and challenges of female entrepreneurship (Correa et al. , 2021; Ojong et al.…”

“…Third, this paper enriches the study of technology entrepreneurship from a gender perspective. While the existing literature adequately discusses micro-and macro-level factors affecting female entrepreneurship, such as the motivation, performance and challenges of female entrepreneurship (Correa et al, 2021;Ojong et al, 2021) and the excellent contribution of female entrepreneurship to economic growth (Pinkovetskaia et al, 2019), few studies focus on gender differences in technology entrepreneurship, and there is also a lack of research on the impact of digital factors on female entrepreneurship (Ughetto et al, 2020). By employing gender as a moderating variable, this paper examines its role on the relationship between institutional environment and technology entrepreneurship in the digital context.…”

Spanish CEOs' perceptions in complex situations: an analysis from a gender perspective

“…In recent decades, female entrepreneurship has grown significantly worldwide (Runyan et al, 2006;Simmons et al, 2019;Criado-Gomis et al, 2020) in qualitative and quantitative terms (Minniti, 2009;Chavez-Rivera et al, 2021). Hence, we find abundant literature on female entrepreneurship, employment and self-employment (Ligthelm, 2005;Seelos and Mair, 2005;Peredo and McLean, 2006;Neck et al, 2009;Berner et al, 2012;Pathak and Gyawali, 2012; CEOs' perceptions in complex situations Corrêa et al, 2021;Ojong et al, 2021), together with the financing of women entrepreneurs (Hosseini et al, 2012;Than, 2014;Purohit and Kumar, 2020), and sustainable finance (Goetz and Gupta, 1996;Hashemi, 1996;Kabeer, 2001;Garikipati, 2008;Ngo and Wahhaj, 2012;Ribes-Giner et al, 2018;Dal Mas and Paoloni, 2019;Poulaki et al, 2021).…”

“…, 2021). Hence, we find abundant literature on female entrepreneurship, employment and self-employment (Ligthelm, 2005; Seelos and Mair, 2005; Peredo and McLean, 2006; Neck et al ., 2009; Berner et al ., 2012; Pathak and Gyawali, 2012; Corrêa et al ., 2021; Ojong et al ., 2021), together with the financing of women entrepreneurs (Hosseini et al ., 2012; Than, 2014; Purohit and Kumar, 2020), and sustainable finance (Goetz and Gupta, 1996; Hashemi, 1996; Kabeer, 2001; Garikipati, 2008; Ngo and Wahhaj, 2012; Ribes-Giner et al ., 2018; Dal Mas and Paoloni, 2019; Poulaki et al ., 2021).…”

Women entrepreneurs in India: a systematic literature review

“…Very few review articles have had a regional focus (e.g. Ojong et al , 2021; Rashid and Ratten, 2020; Wolf and Frese, 2018), and a few have focused on WEs in developing countries (Bastian et al , 2018; Corrêa et al , 2021, De Vita et al , 2014; Panda, 2018). Only a handful of review articles on WEs are available in the Indian context (e.g.…”