Female Entrepreneurship in China. A comparative study of challenges between female and male entrepreneurs in China

Abstract

1 Abstract This thesis compares challenges faced by female and male entrepreneurs in China. The purpose is to investigate what potential challenges female entrepreneurs face that male entrepreneurs do not face in order to identify an explanation to why there are fewer women than men active in entrepreneurship in China. A mixed method was used, inculding both qualitative data collected from semi-structured interviews as well as quantitative data collected through survey responses. The latter was mainly conducted to complement the former. Data from this research was believed to be found indicating that female entrepreneurs face different challenges than male entrepreneurs in China. This was based on that previous research indicate that female entrepreneurs face inequalities in business as well as the authors’ perceptions that it could be more difficult for females in certain business environments, such as to start and manage their own businesses. It was found in the research that challenges faced by male entrepreneurs were generally also faced by female entrepreneurs. However, not all challenges faced by female entrepreneurs were also faced by male entrepreneurs. Even if many of the challenges specific for female entrepreneurs were context related, many of them related to underlying views and perceptions from society and culture. The main findings of female-specific challenges were: balance between business and family, being taken seriously, and the perceptions of the society.