Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Desperately seeking finance? The demand for finance by women-owned and -led businesses
AU - Hill, Frances
AU - Leitch, Claire
AU - Harrison, Richard
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - The study reported here addresses some issues on gender, entrepreneurship and finance that have been identified as problematic in the literature. For example, much of the research to date is based on the assumption of entrepreneurship as male entrepreneurship; few studies have controlled for structural characteristics that may impact on the relationship between owner gender and a venture's ability to raise finance; and women are less likely than men to seek growth and external financing. Through the conduct of in-depth semi-structured interviews, an attempt has been made to give ‘voice’ to women's intrinsically interesting experiences as the enactment of a situated practice, and not just in comparison with the assumed norm of male entrepreneurial activity. The findings suggest that when variables such as individual and firm characteristics are controlled for, generalizations found in the literature may not be supported. Further, the paper highlights that neither women entrepreneurs nor their businesses are homogeneous in nature and that greater heterogeneity in the study of female entrepreneurship in general, and access to finance in particular, is required.
AB - The study reported here addresses some issues on gender, entrepreneurship and finance that have been identified as problematic in the literature. For example, much of the research to date is based on the assumption of entrepreneurship as male entrepreneurship; few studies have controlled for structural characteristics that may impact on the relationship between owner gender and a venture's ability to raise finance; and women are less likely than men to seek growth and external financing. Through the conduct of in-depth semi-structured interviews, an attempt has been made to give ‘voice’ to women's intrinsically interesting experiences as the enactment of a situated practice, and not just in comparison with the assumed norm of male entrepreneurial activity. The findings suggest that when variables such as individual and firm characteristics are controlled for, generalizations found in the literature may not be supported. Further, the paper highlights that neither women entrepreneurs nor their businesses are homogeneous in nature and that greater heterogeneity in the study of female entrepreneurship in general, and access to finance in particular, is required.
KW - Gender
KW - women's entrepreneurship
KW - banks
KW - equity finance
KW - venture capital
KW - networking
KW - hi-tech
U2 - 10.1080/13691060600555347
DO - 10.1080/13691060600555347
M3 - Journal article
VL - 8
SP - 159
EP - 182
JO - Venture Capital: An International Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance
JF - Venture Capital: An International Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance
SN - 1369-1066
IS - 2
ER -