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A new male entrepreneur? Media representation of male entrepreneurs before and after #metoo

Frida Jernberg (Department of Economics, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Uppsala, Sweden)
Anna Lindbäck (Department of Economics, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Uppsala, Sweden)
Annie Roos (Department of Economics, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Uppsala, Sweden)

Gender in Management

ISSN: 1754-2413

Article publication date: 6 March 2020

Issue publication date: 6 April 2020

731

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the representation of male entrepreneurs in the media has changed in the after-effects of the #metoo movement.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors perform a discourse analysis and visual analysis of how male entrepreneurs in the Swedish business magazine Affärsvärlden are represented. A centre-margin analysis is laid out, focusing on who and what constitutes (or endeavours to constitute) the legitimate male entrepreneur.

Findings

The results of the analysis show that male entrepreneurs are represented with different discursive success factors. These success factors are linked to a driven personality, a high-status leisure activity, a supportive but invisible family, a focus on financial measures and a global outlook. Marginally, there has been a change towards more humbleness, and a shift from financial growth to turnover, in the representation of entrepreneurial masculinities after the #metoo movement.

Research limitations/implications

To bring about a more equal norm regarding male entrepreneurial identity, more space and attention must be given in the media to the subordinate masculinities of entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

Previous gender research on entrepreneurship has, to a large extent, focussed on female entrepreneurs and research focussed on male entrepreneurs is conspicuous in its absence. However, the male entrepreneur, just like the female entrepreneur, needs to relate to, be compared with and adapt to a norm of how the ideal entrepreneur should be. Therefore, it is important to establish and illuminate who the male entrepreneur is assumed to be, to better understand and question that role.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The initial idea and data collection of this article is based on a bachelor thesis at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, written by Jernberg and Lindbäck, Roos being the supervisor of the process. The thesis was defended in spring 2018 and was awarded the highest grade. The authors want to thank the students, examiners and other senior academics who contributed thoughts and responses to the thesis work. In addition, the authors want to thank the two anonymous reviewers, and the editor, for seeing what we were trying to do and for guiding us in revising the article.

Citation

Jernberg, F., Lindbäck, A. and Roos, A. (2020), "A new male entrepreneur? Media representation of male entrepreneurs before and after #metoo", Gender in Management, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 211-224. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-01-2019-0004

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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