Gender role (in-)congruity and resource-provider gender biases: a conceptual model

Abstract

PurposeExisting entrepreneurship literature has provided mixed evidence as to whether resource providers discriminate against female-led innovative start-up ventures in their resource commitment decisions either in terms of the likelihood or conditions of resource provision. While some studies revealed evidence indicative of negative discrimination against female entrepreneurs, others have provided evidence suggestive of positive discrimination. In light of these divergent findings, the purpose of this paper is to develop a more nuanced and integrative approach to studying gender biases in entrepreneurial resource provision with greater attention paid to both moderating contingency factors and mediating mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop a conceptual model and empirically testable propositions describing whether, how and when entrepreneurial resource providers are likely to under-, over- and equivalue female-led innovative start-up ventures relative to equivalent male-led start-up ventures. The model applies not only to institutional or private investors as providers of financial capital to start-up ventures as discussed extensively in extant entrepreneurship literature but also to prospective employees as providers of human capital and prospective consumers as providers of money in exchange for an entrepreneurial product or service. The authors discuss the gender-typing of the entrepreneur's core product/service offering as a key contingency factor likely to moderate the proposed relation. The authors further delineate the importance of what they refer to as the “first”- and “second-order” mediating mechanisms underlying the hypothesized relation between resource provider evaluations of the male versus female founder-CEO, the attractiveness of his/her start-up venture and the (conditions of) resource provision to their start-ups.FindingsBuilding on social-psychological theories of descriptive and prescriptive gender stereotypes and extant entrepreneurship literature, the authors establish that gender biases are likely to occur because of resource providers' perceptions of women entrepreneurs at the helm of male-typed start-up ventures to be less competent and agentic, as well as less warm and other-oriented than equivalent male entrepreneurs leading male-typed start-up ventures. The authors discuss the implications of such gender-biased evaluations for the application of stricter performance standards to female-led-male-typed start-up ventures and the likelihood and conditions of resource provision to their companies. The authors further discuss why and when female founder-CEOs of a female-typed (gender-neutral) start-up venture are likely to be overvalued (equivalued) compared to equivalent male founder-CEOs. The authors also develop propositions on additional contingency factors and mediators of the gendered evaluations of founder-CEOs and their start-up ventures, including resource providers' “second-order” gender beliefs, the high-cost versus low-cost resource commitment, individual differences in gender stereotyping and the perceived entrepreneurial commitment of the founder-CEO. The authors conclude by suggesting some practical implications for how to mitigate gender biases and discrimination by prospective resource providers.Originality/valueDiscussing the implications of descriptive and prescriptive gender stereotypes on evaluative decisions of entrepreneurial resources providers, this study advances not only the women's entrepreneurship literature but also the more-established scholarship on the role of gender stereotypes for women's advancement opportunities in the corporate world that has traditionally viewed entrepreneurship as the solution for women fleeing the gender-stereotype-based discrimination in the corporate setting to advance their careers.

Toward a Multidimensional and Multilevel Approach to Studying Gender Diversity in Upper Echelons and Firm Innovation

“…Are lower-level women employees perhaps expecting more gender-based solidarity from the very few women top managers than the latter are either capable of or willing to provide (e.g., to avoid gender-based favoritism), therefore perceiving them as cold “queen bees” (e.g., Mavin, 2006) and reducing, subsequently, their commitment to supporting their women bosses’ innovation strategies? Is this relation reversed in entrepreneurial firms where the power distance between top managers and employees is rather small (e.g., Dai et al, 2019) and/or organizations where women top managers are perceived as warm and employee-oriented rather than instrumental and self-oriented by lower-level women employees (cf., Eagly & Karau, 2002; Tonoyan & Strohmeyer, 2021)? We invite scholars to explore various contingencies likely to bound the cross-level interaction between top managers and employees , and if and how such “leader-member exchange” (Dulebohn et al, 2012) is consequential for firm innovation.…”

“…In industry sectors where gender diversity is normatively accepted, investors are more likely to perceive it as beneficial to the firm performance. Such perceptions are also likely to become reinforced by their “second-order gender beliefs” (cf., Bordalo et al, 2019; see also, Tonoyan & Strohmeyer, 2021, p. 234; Jennings & Tonoyan, 2022), that is, beliefs about other stakeholders’ gender beliefs. In contrast, in industries where gender diversity has not yet gained normative acceptance, investors may see it as irrelevant or even detrimental to the firm performance (Zhang, 2020).…”

Role of female leadership in corporate innovation: a systematic literature review

“…The study also found that female CEOs who lead businesses tend to engage in new and innovative business practices (Prabowo and Setiawan, 2021). Because females are less likely to reach the role of CEOs in major corporations, gender inequalities are likely to emerge as a result of resource suppliers’ judgments of business female-leading male startup firms as less capable than equally qualified male startups (Tonoyan and Strohmeyer, 2021). Interestingly, the results from the entrepreneurship area correspond with earlier findings regarding females assuming a stereotypically male position of an entrepreneur, and also, the findings from more recent research indicating that women are penalized for their achievement when ascending to leadership positions (Toneva et al , 2020).…”

Being a woman in a “man’s work”: effects of gender roles on occupational commitment and life satisfaction of women

“…For instance, Jacobs et al (2010) reported that women working in roles incongruent with their Effects of gender roles perceived gender roles had higher levels of work stress than women working in roles that are perceived congruent with their gender roles, and as a result, the level of negative work outcomes was higher. At the same time, perceived role mismatch results in lower performance expectations in male-dominated jobs with the stereotypical perceived characteristics of women (Tonoyan and Strohmeyer, 2021).…”