Career Success and Entrepreneurial Identity: A Case of Women Tech-Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Women technology entrepreneurs are reworking gender stereotypes and changing both the economy and the culture. Focusing on how they evaluate themselves and their success on the individual, organizational, and social level the conducted qualitative research study showed that women entrepreneurs defined their goals and success mostly in self-realization and social terms while showing a high economic awareness. Using the self-concept definition under the social identity theory as the combination of the individual, relational, and collective self, this paper relates how women entrepreneurs defined their success with their entrepreneurial identity. Thus, this paper’s theoretical contribution lies in gaining a new perspective on entrepreneurial identity from a gendered lens based on the social identity theory.