Abstract
Participation of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in international trade is gaining more importance in the transformation of institutional changes. Although women entrepreneurs contribute to the social and economic development, the role of social, cultural, and legal institutions in fostering women entrepreneurship is still debatable. This argument remains controversial as there is no single theory that has explained the phenomenon of women-owned firms in international trade. Because of the missing link between gender sensitivity and the existing theories of entrepreneurship and internationalization, there is a significant research gap. To fill up this research gap, this study revisited existing theories from three research domains: feminism, entrepreneurship, and internationalization. Factors derived from revisiting theories of entrepreneurship and internationalization were evaluated based on findings from the review of the feminist theories. Finally, key parameters were selected to assess the internationalization of women-owned SMEs, which require future empirical investigation.
Highlights
Research attention devoted to women entrepreneurs has been increased in recent years as female entrepreneurship is considered as a potential source of economic and social development [1,2,3,4]
This study offered gender-sensitive parameters by incorporating insights from theories related to feminism, entrepreneurship, and internationalization, which aim to fill in the research gap in women-led business phenomena and could be interpreted as a springboard for future research and policymaking to ensure gender equality in the economic mainstream
As no single theory of entrepreneurship or internationalization describes female entrepreneurship, especially international female entrepreneurship, this study considered entrepreneurship theories and internationalization theories as a lens to develop the epistemology and feminist theories as an ontology to propose an approach for scrutinizing women-owned firms participating in international trade
Summary
Research attention devoted to women entrepreneurs has been increased in recent years as female entrepreneurship is considered as a potential source of economic and social development [1,2,3,4]. There is a paucity of research that incorporates gender issues in understanding the internationalization of women-owned SMEs, in relation to why women face different sets of challenges or why they approach the same situations differently compared to men, they run their business within the same business atmosphere To answer this question, this study offered a gender-sensitive approach by incorporating insights from theories related to feminism, entrepreneurship, and internationalization to examine women-led business phenomena in the international markets. Such findings would create fears for women entrepreneurs and discourage them from the advancement in business rather than help them to build confidence Against this setting, this study offered gender-sensitive parameters by incorporating insights from theories related to feminism, entrepreneurship, and internationalization, which aim to fill in the research gap in women-led business phenomena and could be interpreted as a springboard for future research and policymaking to ensure gender equality in the economic mainstream. This theoretical and literature-based work contributed to conceptualizing the connection of the notions of ‘being’ entrepreneur, ‘doing’ entrepreneurship, and ‘becoming’ women in business
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