How to make entrepreneurship education more gender equal

Women are still heavily underrepresented in entrepreneurship education worldwide – despite efforts to promote diversity. A new international study reveals the hidden barriers in current programs and presents concrete steps for more inclusive education.

Globally, women are underrepresented in entrepreneurship education, accelerators and incubators, while education is often described as gender-neutral. In practice, much of the content is based on a masculine norm: the ‘ideal’ entrepreneur is male, often from the global north with the goal of starting technology or growth-oriented businesses. Using social feminism and social dominance theory, the authors show how so-called ‘gendered’ status orders shape both who goes into entrepreneurship and how educational environments reinforce the differences.

Barriers at four levels

The researchers created a panel of 85 experts from 19 countries, mainly teachers and researchers in entrepreneurship and gender. In three rounds of questioning, the panel was asked to identify barriers to gender-inclusive entrepreneurship education and to rate a wide range of statements about the characteristics of inclusive programmes. The barriers are found at four levels: individual (e.g. lower entrepreneurial confidence, limited time and resources), programme (one-size-fits-all approach, male cases and role models), organization (selection and governance that disadvantage underrepresented groups) and ecosystem(norms and policies that are based on a male entrepreneurial image).

A clear pattern in education is standardized programmes focusing on scalable growth companies, pitch competitions and business plans, where almost all examples and role models are men. Language, time and location create additional barriers: teaching in majority languages, on campus and during the day makes participation more difficult for those with caring responsibilities, part-time jobs or limited travel.

Seven areas for improvement

The study results in a scorecard with 35 indicators for gender-inclusive entrepreneurship education, a further development of the Gender-Smart Entrepreneurship Education and Training framework. The indicators are grouped into seven areas: management commitment, EDI competencies, resources, program design, program development, implementation and evaluation. They include requirements for clear gender equality objectives and resources, gender diversity in cases and guest speakers, flexible formats (e.g. evening, online, modules) and supportive structures that facilitate the participation of groups with limited resources.

A key point is that evaluation cannot stop at economic outcomes. The model also suggests measures of identity and relationship-related outcomes: for example, sense of belonging, quality of networks, and the extent to which programs help them understand and address structural barriers. Overall, the study shifts the focus from the alleged shortcomings of individuals to the design of systems – and provides education actors with a concrete tool to analyze and incrementally make their entrepreneurship programs more inclusive.

More about the article and the authors
The article Gender inclusive entrepreneurship education and training: challenges and indicators is published in the scientific journal Entrepreneurship and Regional Development.

The authors are Barbara Orser and Catherine Elliott at the University of Ottawa, Canada, Amanda Elam and Candida Brush at Babson College, USA, and Anita Shankar, Johns Hopkins University, USA.