Women's entrepreneurship research and the understanding of factors influencing the growth of women-owned business advanced significantly over the last decade. Yet, challenges remain. Women Entrepreneurs and the Global Environment for Growth provides wide-ranging insights on the challenges women entrepreneurs face growing their businesses and how these may be addressed. This volume is rooted in research and considers growth challenges both contextually and firm specific, provoking current thought and enriching the current literature on gender and entrepreneurship. Part one highlights how contextual factors, and especially social and familial settings of entrepreneurs, have a differential impact on men and women. Part two examines strategies, constraints and enablers of growth and performance. The authors aptly demonstrate that a well-focused gender lens is necessary to better explain the phenomenon of women's entrepreneurship. Extending previous studies about women's entrepreneurship, this volume is unique in its application of research from the Diana Project, a path breaking initiative dating from 1999 to study female entrepreneurial success. Contributions from an international cast of authors make this a comprehensive and broadly appealing reference work.

The female entrepreneurship researchers community has to thank these women for their brilliant work in reviewing, revising and selecting the best papers from the second Diana International Conference that were finally edited for this volume. . . the book is a good compendium of female entrepreneurship circumstances in different countries that focuses specifically on the explanation as to why gender plays a role in the number of ventures started by women and why they are in general smaller and less growth-oriented. Manuela Pardo-del-Val, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal . . . this edited text draws upon a range of international contributors to present a comparative overview of challenges facing female entrepreneurs seeking to grow their firms. . . this is an interesting book that makes a welcome contribution to contemporary debate. Susan Marlow, International Small Business Journal The data and information presented in this work will be of particular interest to students and scholars of entrepreneurship or labor and women s studies. Recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. E.P. Hoffman, Choice Enterprising new firms drive economic growth, and women around the world are important contributors to that growth. As entrepreneurs, they seize opportunities, develop and deliver new goods and services and, in the process, create wealth for themselves, their families, communities, and countries. This volume explores the role women entrepreneurs play in this economic progress, highlighting the challenges they encounter in launching and growing their businesses, and providing detailed studies of how their experiences vary from country to country. Statistics show that businesses owned by women tend to remain smaller than those owned by men, whether measured by the number of employees or by the size of revenues. Because women-led firms fail to grow as robustly, the opportunities to innovate and expand are limited, as are the rewards. Based on recent studies that examine the links between entrepreneurial supply and demand issues, this volume provides insights into how women around the world are addressing the challenges of entrepreneurial growth. The first set of chapters consists of country overviews and provides discussions of the state of women growing businesses. The second set of chapters describes research projects under way in different countries and explores more focused topics under the umbrella of women business owners and business growth. The volume concludes with an agenda and projects for future research. Academics and policymakers will gain a greater understanding of women s entrepreneurial behaviors and outcomes through this path-breaking volume. Those who support women through education and training, policymaking, or providing entrepreneurial resources will also find the volume of great practical interest.

The Emerald Handbook of Women and Entrepreneurship in Developing Economies examines women's role in entrepreneurial practices in a range of developing countries and applies unique strategic contextual frameworks to analyse, interpret and understand individual processes, themes and issues.

Women perform nearly two-thirds of total work (including household duties), comprise one-third of the formal labor force, but receive only one-tenth of the world income and own one-hundredth of the world's property. This book brings together distinguished entrepreneurship scholars to provide a unique global vision of the wellbeing of women entrepreneurs to foster sustainable development and inclusive societies. Although gender inequality has long been an important discussion, solutions leading to gender parity are far from reaching their targets in the formal workplace globally. In contrast, women's entrepreneurship is growing exponentially and opportunities for women to own a business and be their own boss offers desirable flexible working conditions that are aligned with women's lifestyles and multiple family responsibilities. However, entrepreneurial activities are demanding and complex, and women face challenges that require special attention. This book focuses on programs that are effective in helping women entrepreneurs reach levels of wellbeing that in turn ensure business sustainability and increased prosperity. Offering perspectives from around the globe, The Wellbeing of Women in Entrepreneurshipwill be of great interest to those working and researching in the disciplines of business management, entrepreneurship, human resource management, sustainable development and women's studies. at are effective in helping women entrepreneurs reach levels of wellbeing that in turn ensure business sustainability and increased prosperity. Offering perspectives from around the globe, The Wellbeing of Women in Entrepreneurshipwill be of great interest to those working and researching in the disciplines of business management, entrepreneurship, human resource management, sustainable development and women's studies.

Global Women's Entrepreneurship Research responds to recent calls from academic researchers and policy analysts alike to pay greater attention to the diversity and heterogeneity among women entrepreneurs. Drawing together studies by 26 researchers affiliated with the DIANA International Research Network, this collection contributes to a richer and more robust understanding of the field. Part I: 'Diverse Settings' introduces research set in a range of contexts, from those rarely examined to those representing more familiar terrains. Part II: 'Diverse Questions' explores new questions and reframes old questions in fresh, innovative ways. Part III: 'Diverse Approaches' features studies with distinct methodological approaches that reflect and extend the rigour and creativity of research in this field. Together, the research assembled in this volume significantly advances knowledge about women's entrepreneurship around the world. While the book's primary audience is academic researchers and graduate students working in the areas of women's entrepreneurship, as well as entrepreneurship and family business more generally, it will also be of interest to scholars working in related research areas in the sociology of gender, work and organizations. Policy-makers in government and non-government agencies as well as profit and not-for-profit organizations that provide services to, or conduct research on, women entrepreneurs will also benefit greatly from the insights provided in this unique volume.

Over the past century, an extensive literature has developed, exploring the impact of entrepreneurship on economic performance. The active participation of entrepreneurs in virtually all aspects of business and economic activity has obliged policy makers within the global economy to consider entrepreneurship as a determining variable in any political force, not only for bodies and groups created specifically to this end, but also for any decision-making body. To this end, specific actions promoting entrepreneurship have already been established around the world. However, the particular dynamics of entrepreneurship by women present unique opportunities and challenges. The women’s perspective has often been overlooked in research, practice, and policymaking, and yet yields rich insights and implications. This volume features research from an international array of authors, global data, and in-depth analysis of women’s entrepreneurial activity in Europe, Latin America, the United States, and Canada, to shed light on the positive impact of women’s entrepreneurship on economic growth and development. The first part covers a broad range of concepts relating to the history and context of the female economic perspective. The second part focuses on performance and success factors, with respect to such issues as innovation, social needs, and entrepreneurial orientation. The third part addresses issues of financing, including discussion of access to capital, microcredit, and entrepreneurial behavior. The fourth part considers additional topics, such as work-family balance and access to education. Together, the chapters offer new perspectives on the unique characteristics of women entrepreneurs and their contributions to economic development in theory, practice, and policymaking.

Drawing on the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a frame of reference, this new edition of Female Entrepreneurship – Women’s Entrepreneurship – continues to challenge contemporary assumptions regarding who or what is an entrepreneur. It draws upon relevant literature and research to enable research-led teaching delivery and provides students with a comprehensive understanding of women’s entrepreneurship and a solid foundation from which they can pursue further studies. Informative but concise, Women’s Entrepreneurship covers key concepts, issues, themes and approaches and provides useful suggested topics for debate. Updates include a revised chapter on Emerging Technologies and Women’s Entrepreneurship, which explores digital entrepreneurship and cyberfeminism. Contextualisation of Women’s Entrepreneurship acknowledges the broader contextual influences on women’s entrepreneurship. Finally, two new chapters have been added looking at The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Women’s Entrepreneurship Policy. International case studies explore the socio-economic context for women’s entrepreneurship in regional, national and international economies. Pedagogy to aid learning is incorporated throughout, including learning outcomes, boxes to highlight key research insights and best practice as well as discussion points and activities. This book is important supplementary reading on entrepreneurship, small business management and women's and gender studies courses – it will prove particularly useful to women moving towards starting their own business as well as postgraduate students researching the topic for the first time.

How can governments ensure that women have the same employment and entrepreneurship opportunities as men? One important step is to level the legal playing field so that the rules for operating in the worlds of work and business apply equally regardless of gender. Women, Business and the Law 2018, the fifth edition in a series, examines laws affecting women’s economic inclusion in 189 economies worldwide. It tracks progress that has been made over the past two years while identifying opportunities for reform to ensure economic empowerment for all. The report updates all indicators as of June 1, 2017 and explores new areas of research, including financial inclusion.

This brief presents a detailed look at the entrepreneurial ecosystem of nations around the world by combining individual data with institutional components. Presenting data from the 2018 Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI), which measures the quality and scale of entrepreneurial process from 137 countries world-wide, this book provides a rich understanding of entrepreneurship and a more precise means to measure it. The novelty of the GEDI 2018 edition is the examination of the connection between the GEDI score and the computed total factor productivity (TFP) values. The Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index is an annual index (composite indicator) that measures the health of the entrepreneurship ecosystems in a given country. The authors have identified 14 components (or pillars) that are important for the health of entrepreneurial ecosystems, identified data to capture each , and used this data to calculate three levels of scores for a given country: the overall GEDI score, scores for Individuals and Institutions, and pillar level scores (which measure the quality of each of the 14 components).

Women’s entrepreneurship is an effective way to combat poverty, hunger and disease, to stimulate sustainable business practices, and to promote gender equality. Yet, deeply engrained cultural norms often prescribe gender-specific roles and behaviors that severely constrain the opportunities for women’s entrepreneurial activities. This excellent new volume of work from the Diana Group explores this paradox.