Perception of the entrepreneurship of the male and female students at the university of Novi Sad

Abstract

This paper reports the research findings on entrepreneurial aspirations of male and female students from the University of Novi Sad, which was conducted in 2007/2008. The objective of the research was to examine the impact of social context and entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions of students. We examined the way students perceive social context for entrepreneurship including the social and economic changes typical for the society in transition. Gender perspective was taken into account as research specifically investigated the ways in which female and male students in particular have been affected by changing social and economic circumstances in Serbia. The results of our research confirmed that gender factor is very influential in determining the level of entrepreneurial aspirations of students, namely male students are much more likely to venture into business sphere than female students. This can largely be explained by the way female students were socialized and made to understand their role in the family and community. Thus, we conclude that patriarchal system coupled with unstable environment in transitional society (high degree of corruption, political instability, and frail legal framework) are key factors which shape female students' indecisiveness to become entrepreneurs.