Antecedents of entrepreneurial intention in an international business environment: a gender comparison

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to analyse the influence of contextual factors, such as educational, relational and structural support, on psychological dimensions of entrepreneurship – self-confidence and risk-taking propensity – , and their impact on Entrepreneurial Intention (EI). Further, a gender comparison is conducted on an international sample and analyses the moderating effect of family antecedents (an entrepreneurial parent) on the relationship between relational support and self-confidence and risk-taking propensity. Design/methodology/approach We test the research hypotheses using a validated questionnaire in an international context through a survey submitted to 406 professionals from Spain, China and Latin-American countries, who had received entrepreneurial education and completed their studies at least two years beforehand. Findings The results show significant gender differences in self-confidence and risk-taking propensity, particularly when the antecedents are educational and structural support to start a business, and we also find differences when we consider an entrepreneurial family member (father, mother) as a moderator in the relationship between relational support and self-confidence, and risk-taking propensity. Practical implications The findings shed new light on the overall picture regarding factors contributing to EI and provide valuable implications for the design of entrepreneurship education measures and policies to promote entrepreneurship in a global context. Originality/value As a novelty, this paper considers an international sample of professionals, including personal and psychological aspects as potential determinants of EI (in addition to traditional contextual factors), and also an analysis of the effects of entrepreneurial family members on the relational aspects of entrepreneurship that can affect psychological aspects of potential entrepreneurs. It also includes a gender comparison for the hypothesized model.

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