Gender, family and cultural perspectives on venture growth aspirations

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyse how family and cultural context conditions shape the role of gender in venture growth aspirations. Rather than actual growth, we examine the expectations of growth of early-stage entrepreneurs in the intersection of gender and two different contexts: the family context (i.e., family-owned or/and family-managed vs. non-family ventures) and the cultural environment context (i.e., traditional vs. secular-rational cultures). Using Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data from two representative countries of traditional and secular-rational cultures, namely, Morocco and Spain, our findings suggest that both family and culture contexts moderate the growth aspirations of female entrepreneurs. Thus, while growth aspirations, in general, are weaker for women compared to those for men, both a family-managed organisational context and a traditional cultural context positively moderate the lower growth aspirations of female entrepreneurs. These results are expected to provide useful guidance to policy makers and families interested in promoting growth-aspiring female entrepreneurs.