TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– This article seeks to evaluate whether entrepreneurship education (EE) in upper secondary schools promotes male and female start‐up activity. The Company programme (CP) reaches more than 200,000 European youths annually.Design/methodology/approach– The control‐group design is methodologically strong, and the empirical data are from Norway. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,171 24‐25 year olds; 50 per cent of the respondents had been involved in CP in the period 2004‐2006, and 50 per cent had not. The analyses also control for other factors of relevance to start‐up activity.Findings– Results from econometric analyses indicate a positive correlation between participation in CP and start‐up activity. The analyses also indicate that CP has more impact on male start‐up activity as compared to women.Research limitations/implications– A lot of other influences occur between the participation in CP and the start‐up activity. Although CP may be associated with more start‐ups, these are not necessarily start‐ups of a higher quality, survival rate or growth potential. The analysis also conceals variations in start‐up activity among CP‐participants with regard to time spent on CP, position in the CP, and obligatory vs voluntary participation.Practical implications– To promote start‐up activity among women more effectively, CP could be more focused on shaping confidence and increasing perceived competency among girls participating in the programme.Social implications– One solution for how to increase start‐up activity among young men and women could be to offer EE within upper secondary schools.Originality/value– The study measures experience with start‐up activity 6‐8 years after EE‐participation in upper secondary school, it compares the impact of EE on male and female business start‐ups, and the control‐group design is advantageous compared to previous studies.
VL  - 5
IS  - 2
SN  - 1756-6266
DO  - 10.1108/17566261311328864
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/17566261311328864
AU  - Johansen Vegard
PY  - 2013
Y1  - 2013/01/01
TI  - Entrepreneurship education and start‐up activity: a gender perspective
T2  - International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 216
EP  - 231
Y2  - 2024/09/26
ER  -