Bridging the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurship: Aligning Support Systems with Women's Entrepreneurial Practices

Sammanfattning

This thesis aims to deepen the understanding of women’s entrepreneurship in Skåne, Sweden, and to examine how entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) contribute to overcoming barriers in the business development process. Using a mixed-methods approach, including two literature reviews, four in-depth interviews, and a quantitative questionnaire, the study applies triangulation of empirical information to strengthen the validity of its findings. The results show that women’s entrepreneurial practices largely resemble those of men but differ in some structural aspects such as the type of legal entity they usually start companies in, and the type of industry they tend to do so in. As shown in previous research, the gender gap is confirmed in this study as well, with women being underrepresented among business owners in Sweden and Skåne. In terms of entrepreneurial support, the study has contributed practically with a mapping of ESOs in Skåne. The support consists of both formal and informal support, of which ESOs constitute the formal support system. The mapping identifies accountants, banks and legal advisors as common informal alternatives to ESOs. Furthermore, the entrepreneurs’ network, consisting of both family and friends and professional relations, appeared to be an important source of support. Moreover, findings show significant gender differences in support-seeking behavior, with women relying more on informal support and engaging more in networking activities compared to men. Further, while women and men access formal support to a similar extent, differences exist in the types of formal support sought. The study shows that women participate significantly more in networking activities and report greater benefits from them compared to men. However, women seek financial support to a lesser extent, although with relatively high success rates when they do. Lastly, the study identifies challenges in navigating the formal support system, highlighting issues related to accessibility and awareness of available support. As a result, practical contributions emphasize improving coordination, visibility, and communication within the support system. The thesis theoretical contributions consist of the significant differences in support-seeking behavior and the categorization and mapping of ESOs in Skåne.