1. Anyone Can Be an
Entrepreneur—But Not on
Reality Television
An Examination of the Media Representation of Female
Entrepreneurs on Season 1 of “Shark Tank”
Mandy Wheadon
PhD student, Technology, Leadership & Innovation
2. background
Positive themes in entrepreneurship research:
• Driver of job creation & economic development
• One of the fastest growing subjects in today’s educational curricula
• Increasingly vital skill
Fill existing jobs
Actively create new jobs
3. problem
Problematic themes in entrepreneurship research:
• Lack of diversity
Race
White
Black
Latino
Asian
Source: Fairlie, R. (2014). Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity.
9. How do other theories explain the gender gap?
Linguistics Theory
Implicit
associations
&
conceptual baggage
influence understanding
theoretical framework
10. gap in research
How do other theories explain the gender gap?
Mass Communication
Theory
Media Framing Theory:
the way something is portrayed
(or “framed” by communicators
influences how receivers interpret the
concept
11. research question
What is the role of the media in the production and
reproduction of stereotypes about entrepreneurship?
12. the media
Why reality television?
• Occupies a unique space between “real life” and
“entertainment”
• Audiences overestimate the amount of actual “reality”
depicted in reality TV shows
13. the media
Social identity, acceptance, and influence
• Over time, group prototype develops
• Self-identification & credibility influenced by amount of
similarity/difference to prototype
• Power & influence determined by by degree to which a
person fits prototype
• Reproduces & perpetuates status quo
Source: Hogg (2001)
14. the project
Study design
Purpose
• Systematically analyze the media frames surrounding entrepreneurs
and entrepreneurship in the first Season of the reality TV show “Shark
Tank
• Examine media constructed representations of women as
entrepreneurs by analyzing texts, images, and other symbolic materials,
sorting the content into categories, and then quantifying and
interpreting the results
15. the project
Study design
Methodology
• Media framing analysis (MFA)
• specifically used for conducting analyses of media
discourses
• draws on a diverse range of quantitative and qualitative
methods, such as content analysis, discourse analysis,
grounded theory, narrative analysis and rhetorical analysis
16. the project
Study design
Scope
• Specifically examines how female participants are
framed during the fifteen episodes that originally aired
between August 9, 2009 and February 5, 2010.
17. the project
Research findings
Results
• 15 episodes (Season 1 of “Shark Tank” reached an
average of 4.8 million viewers per episode)
• Included 68 presentations (or “pitches”) by 90
entrepreneurs
• 57 males
• 33 females
18. the project
Research findings
Identity
• narrator: “Tonight, hopeful entrepreneurs who believe they have the next big business idea will enter
the Shark Tank seeking the financial backing to make their dreams come true.”
20. the project
Research findings
Funding
Participant Gender
Average
Investment
Requested ($)
Average Equity
Offered (%)
Average
Investment
Received ($)
Average
Equity
Given Up
(%)
Female 169, 050 24 171,818 51
Male/Female pair 202,000 22 270,000 45
Male 275,474 20 229,688 53
Average amount of money requested and equity offered by gender:
21. the project
Research findings
Types of entrepreneurship
• 75% of female entrepreneurs—products related to babies
& children and/or marketed to other women
• 80% of participants who described business as a “hobby”
were women
• 64% of entrepreneurs involved with shoes, makeup, or
fashion/design were pitched by female entrepreneurs
• 16% of female entrepreneurs hold a patent
22. the project
Research findings
Relational representations
• 73 % backstories showed females in their kitchens,
even though their product had nothing to do with food
or cooking.
• Women always discuss marital status—not men
• Asked if they want to “call their husbands” to consult
him about the investment offer
23. conclusion
Change needed
• a change in the prevailing cultural mindsets about
entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship will not happen by
itself—especially with an increasing number of accessible
and stereotypical media representations of
entrepreneurship
• these mindsets limit the ability of individuals who fall
outside of traditional conceptualizations of “the
entrepreneur” to identify themselves as entrepreneurs or to
seek out entrepreneurial skills.
25. conclusion
Change needed
• Alternative role models and representations of
entrepreneurship that challenge stereotypes must be
promoted
• “When women do not participate equally in
entrepreneurship, society loses out on the value that can be
created by half its populace”
(Kickul, Wilson, Barbosa, Marlino, & Griffiths, 2009, p.5).
