Gender in family business ownership and management: a six‐country analysis
International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship
ISSN: 1756-6266
Article publication date: 26 June 2009
Abstract
Purpose
While family firms constitute a highly important component of most countries' economies, and in many countries a sizable portion of these family businesses are owned and managed by women, there has been minimal study of gender issues in family business ownership and management. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design was self‐reported survey research, which is the most commonly used methodology in family business research and for small business and entrepreneurship quantitative research.
Findings
In contrast to early (pre‐1980) gender comparisons in management and entrepreneurship, and in support of the majority of more recent studies, this investigation found no significant relationships between the gender of family business owner‐managers and ten management characteristic variables in a sample of 593 family businesses in six countries.
Originality/value
These findings add to the limited and currently inconclusive body of knowledge regarding gender issues specifically in family business, and more generally in entrepreneurship and management.
Keywords
Citation
Sonfield, M.C. and Lussier, R.N. (2009), "Gender in family business ownership and management: a six‐country analysis", International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 96-117. https://doi.org/10.1108/17566260910969661
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited