Abstract
Women are consistently underrepresented among graduate entrepreneurs. This is especially true among the entrepreneurs who graduate in STEM fields. Here, we aim at identifying factors that reduce/enlarge the gender imbalance in entrepreneurship among STEM graduates. In particular, we explore the underinvestigated association between university education in STEM fields and entrepreneurial entry of recent female and male graduates considering graduates’ whole university curriculum. Our analyses on the graduates who obtained a Master of Science degree in the 2005–2009 period from Politecnico di Milano reveal that training in economics and management reduces the gender imbalance in entrepreneurial entry among STEM recent graduates. The gap is instead larger among the graduates who attended courses that aggregate students from different STEM fields or did an internship.
Highlights
Despite the increase in women’s engagement in entrepreneurial activity over the years, there are still many more male than female entrepreneurs in most countries (Kelley et al, 2017)
This paper investigates the relationship between university education in STEM fields and entrepreneurial entry of recent female and male graduates
Our study shows that, as we expected, the characteristics of the university education received by STEM graduates influence the magnitude of the gender imbalance in entrepreneurial entry
Summary
Despite the increase in women’s engagement in entrepreneurial activity over the years, there are still many more male than female entrepreneurs in most countries (Kelley et al, 2017). This gender gap in entrepreneurship is documented among graduates, i.e., the individuals who have more potential to be successful entrepreneurs (Van der Sluis et al, 2008), and is evident among graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM fields) (e.g., Wadhwa & Chideya, 2014). It is relevant to understand how this gap is generated and how it could be reduced
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
