Antecedents of entrepreneurial employee activity: does gender play a role?

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this article is to examine the extent to which the antecedents of entrepreneurial employee activity differ by gender across countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Generalised linear multilevel logistic regression is applied to data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) with a sample of 60 countries for the period 2014–2016. This data is complemented with data from the World Governance Indicators (WGI) project and from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Findings

Using human capital theory (for individual-related antecedents) and institutional economics (for environmental related antecedents), the results show that the antecedents of entrepreneurial employee activity differ by gender. Specifically, being in contact with other entrepreneurs, and the quality of government regulations condition entrepreneurial employee activity and have a different intensity depending on gender.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature about entrepreneurial initiatives and gender by providing insights that add to the literature on why men and women have different entrepreneurial behaviours. In addition, this study also contributes to human capital theory and institutional economics as their role in the relation between entrepreneurial employee activity and gender has not been studied in detail in previous research. Finally, the promotion of female intrapreneurial activity is a key policy for most public bodies and organisations in developed countries.

Citation

Turro, A., Noguera, M. and Urbano, D. (2020), "Antecedents of entrepreneurial employee activity: does gender play a role?", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 26 No. 8, pp. 1685-1706. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-09-2019-0529