Title: Gender differences in ethnic entrepreneurship

Authors: Tuzin Baycan-Levent, Enno Masurel, Peter Nijkamp

Addresses: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Istanbul Technical University, Taskisla 34437, Taksim, Istanbul, Turkey. ' Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ' Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract: Gender-based differences are the most important topic of discussion in female entrepreneurship studies. While earlier studies focused on psychological and sociological characteristics of female entrepreneurs, assuming there were only a few differences between males and females, more recent studies have addressed gender-based differences in entrepreneurship from a new perspective, referred to as the integrated perspective, which is rooted in psychological and sociological theory. This perspective focuses on gender differences in entrepreneurial characteristics and performance from the perspective of liberal feminist and social feminist theories, which attempt to explain the basis of the lower status of women in society. Against this background, the aim of the present paper is to investigate gender-based differences in a special field of entrepreneurship, viz. ethnic entrepreneurship, and to describe male and female profiles of ethnic entrepreneurs and enterprises.

Keywords: ethnic entrepreneurship; female entrepreneurship; gender differences; women entrepreneurs; liberal feminist theory; social feminist theory; ethnic minorities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2006.009873

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2006 Vol.6 No.3, pp.173 - 190

Published online: 21 May 2006 *

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