Gender and Entrepreneurship Research: A review of methodological approaches

Abstract

The paper presents the findings of a systematic literature review (SLR) of the gender and entrepreneurship literatures published in 18 journals over a 30-year period. The SLR sought to identify methodological trends in the field of gender and entrepreneurship, and to critically explore the type of methodological innovations needed in future scholarship. Findings reveal a proliferation of large-scale empirical studies focused on male/female comparisons, often with little detail provided on industry sector or sampling methods, and with either a weak or no feminist perspective. We argue that future scholars must develop the methodological repertoire to match emerging trends toward post structural feminist approaches; this may require a radical move toward more innovative, in-depth qualitative methodologies such as life histories, case study or discourse analysis.