Images, forms and presence outside and beyond the pink ghetto

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to consider entrepreneurial imagery that sheds light on differing and emerging patterns of female entrepreneurial identity which illustrate shifts in the locus of power that challenge masculine hegemony and power structures. As a concept, power has an image component, and shifts in power are often conveyed by subtle changes in the cultural semiotic. Globally, images of female-entrepreneurship are socially constructed using stereotypes which are often pejorative. The semiotics of gendered identity as a complex issue is difficult to measure, assess and understand. Gender has its own semiotic codes, and, universally, images of female-entrepreneurship are socially constructed using pejorative stereotypes. Entrepreneurial imagery can shed light on differing and emerging patterns of female-entrepreneurial identity illustrating shifts in the locus of power that challenge masculine hegemony and power structures. Artefacts, images and semiotics construct alternative gendered social constructs of the entrepreneur to the heroic alpha-male. The imagery associated with the female-entrepreneur is either said to be invisible, or associated with “Pinkness” and the “Pink Ghetto”. Therefore, images, forms and presence associated with gendered entrepreneurial identities have been explored. Design/methodology/approach – One hundred images of female-entrepreneurship were analysed semiotically using photo-montage techniques to identify common stereotypical representations, archetypes and themes. The resultant conceptual typology highlights the existence of near universal, archetypal gendered entrepreneurial stereotypes including the Business Woman; the Matriarch; the Diva; and the Pink-Ghetto Girl. Findings – Although the results are subjective and open to interpretation, they illustrate that the contemporary female-entrepreneur, unlike their male counterparts, is not forced to adopt the persona of the “conforming non-conformist” because they have more options available to them to construct an entrepreneurial identity. Research limitations/implications – This study extends research into entrepreneurial identity by considering visual imagery associated with socially constructed stereotypes. In looking beyond images associated with the “Pink-Ghetto” the author challenges stereotypical representations of the appearance of female-entrepreneurs, what they look like and how they are perceived. Originality/value – This study widens knowledge about entrepreneurship as a socio-economic phenomenon via images forming part of enterprising identity, a physical manifestation of nebulas phenomena acting as “visual metaphors” shaping expected constructs.

Annual review article: Is it time to rethink the gender agenda in entrepreneurship research?

“…To counter such homophobic influences, these entrepreneurial actors may retreat to socalled 'pink ghettos' (Smith, 2014) and create specific market niches. As the purpose of this article is to draw upon gender theory to consider various possibilities for future research exploration, these are largely speculative reflections; thus, whilst there is some evidence from small scale studies suggesting discrimination flight from employment to self-employment by gay men, this is by no means clear cut (Galloway, 2012).…”

Examining Web Images: A Combined Visual Analysis (CVA) Approach

“…As previously highlighted, there is a significant body of research that has examined pre‐existing images. Examples include the use of imagery in annual reporting (Davison, ), campaigning (Bell and Leonard, ), corporate social responsibility (Breitbarth et al ., ; Höllerer et al ., ), diversity (Swan, ), and entrepreneurship (Smith, ; Swan, ). Rather than offering a broad review here I focus on research that particularly informed my thinking about CVA.…”

“…It should be noted that a similar mixed approach is frequently used across visual studies (Pearce et al ., ). Looking more specifically at studies of web images, I reviewed examples of thematic analysis (Duffy and Hund, ), content analysis with an emphasis on visual clustering (Delmestri et al ., ) and montage (Smith, ). Each provided an overview of sorting images by themes, clustering or montage.…”

“…However in contrast to Breitbarth et al .’s () quantitative approach, all offered insights into qualitative approaches to categorisation. In particular, Smith () describes a visual storyboarding process of 100 images, however the methodological description is brief and difficult to replicate. The stage‐by‐stage and step‐by‐step description of CVA that follows provides a detailed process which others can adapt and apply to their own research projects.…”

“…In line with what Meyer et al . () refer to as a ‘strongly qualitative’ orientation, my aim was to retain a visual qualitative focus on the images themselves by adapting practices grounded in photo‐montage (Smith, ; Shortt and Warren, ).…”