The document discusses the gender gap in entrepreneurship in France. Some key facts are presented: 40% of privately held companies are created by women, but only 26% of student entrepreneurs, 10% of startups, and 7% of fundraising goes to female-led startups. The top motivations for women to start businesses are independence and flexibility. However, women are less likely than men to cite making money as a motivation. The main obstacles for women entrepreneurs are gender stereotypes that portray women as more risk averse, less confident, and less ambitious than men. The document recommends ways to close the gender gap, such as increasing the number of women in STEM fields, addressing how gender norms impact skills development, and understanding

1. Is it possible to close the
gender gap in
entrepreneurship?
Anne Boring
May 29th, 2018

2. A few facts

3. The gender gap in entrepreneurship in France
• 40% of privately held companies are created by women
(Insee), but…
• 26% of student entrepreneurs are women (Pépite
France)
• 10% of startups are created by women (Baromètre EY)
• 7% of fund-raising goes to female-led startups (StartHer
& KPMG)

4. Why do women create businesses
• 3 main sources of motivation:
• Perceived freedom, becoming one’s own boss, being
independent
• Having more diversity in tasks accomplished,
developing new skills
• Giving purpose and meaning to one’s job
(ex: “Parcours de vie, parcours de femmes entrepreneurEs”, Opinion
Way study for the Fondation Entreprendre & AXA)
• Main difference:
• Women cite making money less often than men

5. Main obstacles
• Impact of gender stereotypes, which generate gender
biases and discrimination:
• Women are more risk averse?
• Women are less self-confident?
• Women are less ambitious?
• Women are less competitive?

6. Main obstacles
Source: http://daliaresearch.com

7. Few women choose Master’s degrees in STEM
fields in France, despite higher wages
Electr., génie électrique
Informatique Physique
Mathématiques
STAPS
Sc. économiques
Géographie
Sc. de gestion
Archéologie, ethnologie, préhistoire
Histoire
Pharmacie
Sciences juridiques
Arts
LEA
Sc. du langage, linguistique
Psychologie
20000250003000035000
0 20 40 60 80 100
Pourcentage de femmes dans la discipline
Rémunération annuelle brute estimée Tendance
Note : rémunération 18 mois après le Master (cohorte 2013)
Source des données : Ministère de l'enseignement supérieur, de la recherche et de l'innovation
Source: Boring, Blog AFSE 2017

8. What can
be done?

9. Increase the size of the pipeline in STEM fields
Carrell, S. E., Page, M. E., & West, J. E. (2010).
Sex and science:
How professor gender perpetuates the gender gap.
The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 125(3), 1101-1144.

10. Learn how gender norms impact skills development
Bursztyn, L., Fujiwara, T., & Pallais, A. (2017).
'Acting Wife':
Marriage Market Incentives and Labor Market Investments.
American Economic Review, 107(11), 3288-3319.

11. Learn how stereotypes impact funding… and how
to respond
Kanze, D., Huang, L., Conley, M. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2018).
We Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose:
Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding.
Academy of Management Journal, 61(2), 586-614.

12. Learn how stereotypes impact competence
recognition
Terrell J, Kofink A, Middleton J, Rainear C, Murphy-Hill E,
Parnin C, Stallings J. (2017)
Gender Differences and Bias in Open Source:
Pull Request Acceptance of Women Versus Men.
PeerJ Computer Science 3:e111
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj-cs.111

13. Most recent research
Brush, C., Edelman, L. F., Manolova, T., & Welter, F. (2018).
A gendered look at entrepreneurship ecosystems.
Small Business Economics, 1-16.

14. “The Truth Will Set You Free,
But First It Will Piss You Off”
(Gloria Steinem, among others)