Abstract
The field of entrepreneurship has experienced a multiplicity of changes in both emerged and emerging economies in recent years, from the dramatic speed of digitalisation to cultural shifts supporting more inclusivity in the workplace. These changes and many others have been instrumental in shaping today's international entrepreneurial ecosystems. Therefore, there is a need for further research at an international scale with innovative methodologies in the field of entrepreneurship, particularly female entrepreneurship. In scholarly literature the concept of gender in the field of entrepreneurship arose in the mid 1970s, but got off to a slow start due to views presented that the main duty of women in most western societies was that of a partner and child bearer. However, in the 2020s, in many emerged economies, women have been seen as a driving force, making a prominent contribution to the economy worldwide. While this notion has also been picked up in emerging economies in recent years, research indicates a gender gap is still visible in both, emerging and emerged economies, creating challenges regarding the women entrepreneurs’ socio-economic empowerment.The overarching aim of this research has been to critically explore the socio-economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs in India’s and Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystems within the technology sector. A Feminist Economics lens has been utilised which focuses on two aspects under the Feminist Economics' umbrella term: motherhood and social caring responsibilities of women tech entrepreneurs. These two aspects were chosen, because these are aspects of a woman’s socio-economic value creation which go largely unnoticed in the economic paradigms under study. The intent has been to better understand the empowerment of women entrepreneurs in the Scottish and Indian contexts, on a regional basis. The regional factor is vital, as most previous research (e.g. Acs, Szerb, & Autio, 2016; GEI, 2017; The GEM Women’s Entrepreneurship Report, 2021; GEM, 2023) reviewed the empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their inclusion in the entrepreneurial ecosystem from a macro-level perspective. The policymaking and knowledge economy are environmental factors that shape the way this phenomenon plays out in both geographical contexts chosen. By noting their importance, the research focused on public policymaking, including an extension of Verheul et al. (2001)’s framework of five types of policy interventions which have an impact on entrepreneurial activity levels. The framework was adapted to fit a micro-economic lens for the utilisation in the interviews of this doctoral research and was consequently extended by a sixth type to reflect the Feminist Economics' angle of this doctoral research. The aim of this doctoral research was achieved by carrying out a cross-country comparison between Scotland and India, with their respective regions being Edinburgh and Dundee as well as Delhi and Mumbai. These were chosen as both countries feature strong entrepreneurial ecosystems as well as technology clusters. For this reason, a literature review comprising of the main debates within the fields of economics, female entrepreneurship, feminism, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and the technology sector was undertaken. The target population for this research were women tech entrepreneurs, change agents (belonging to private and public sector support organisations) and public policy makers residing in the regions within Scotland and India. The criteria of choice for the target population included gender, location, expertise, and experience in the field and/or a position of self-employment in the technology sector. The primary data was collected through online interviews with 28 individuals. A Padlet Wall was utilised to capture the women tech entrepreneurs' lived experiences in advance of their interview, thus an innovative way to incorporate feminist methodology into this doctoral research.
Several key contributions are made by this doctoral research. The micro-level contributions are reflected in capturing the nuances and complexities of the enablers and barriers, which are experienced by the women tech entrepreneurs as well as the achievements, deficiencies, and potential of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to support the women founders’ socio-economic empowerment. The most prominent themes which emerged from this doctoral thesis are the importance of networking and mentoring, gender discrimination within the patriarchal society and risk perceptions of motherhood and the double-burden. Networking and Mentoring is crucial for entrepreneurial success, as these two factors can boost self-confidence. This doctoral research indicates that three main components stem from networking: 1) peer support; 2) higher social capital; 3) perceptions of own competence. Furthermore, the research indicates that gender discrimination in the patriarchal society is a crucial socio-normative barrier for women tech entrepreneurs jeopardising their empowerment. In relation to the Feminist Economics’ lens of this doctoral research, the high risk perceptions surrounding motherhood and the double-burden which both are indicated to create barriers for women tech entrepreneurs become visible. Moreover, the inclusion of feminist methodology within the creation of the data collection tools and the angle from which this research is viewed is a micro-level contribution to the knowledge economy. The macro-level contributions of this doctoral research lie in the creation, adaptation, and expansion of two frameworks (But et al. (2018)’s framework on female entrepreneurial challenges; Verheul et al. (2001)’s framework on five types of policy interventions) and one model (Conceptual Model for a Qualitative Assessment on the Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs). These are utilised to include womanhood and context into the fields of female entrepreneurship and of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Lastly, the cross-case analysis which critically compares the four regional case studies across emerging and emerged nations against each other is the last macro-level contribution.
The significance of this research is derived from having a feminist theoretical underpinning, reviewing women entrepreneurship from an angle of womanhood and empowerment. In the field of entrepreneurial ecosystems, there has been a paucity of research on context-bound, regional settings which prioritises the voices of the stakeholders and intricately maps the system’s responses. This research is part of a discourse which seeks to create entrepreneurial ecosystems in which women entrepreneurs can thrive creating systems with just societies which display an awareness and appreciation for women's multiple roles, which includes seeing the value in them.
| Date of Award | 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Julie Roberts (Supervisor), Colin Combe (Supervisor) & Nancy Lombard (Supervisor) |