The Gender of Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age: Motivations, Perceptions, and Realities

Abstract

Gendered entrepreneurship in the digital economy is shaped by the interaction of economic opportunities, social norms, institutional barriers and individual perceptions. Although digitalisation creates new possibilities for business creation through online platforms, fintech, remote work and digital markets, it does not automatically eliminate gender inequality. Women entrepreneurs continue to face limited access to finance, weaker investor networks, unpaid care responsibilities, lower perceived entrepreneurial self-efficacy, stronger fear of failure and stereotype-based constraints. The objective of this article is to analyse gendered entrepreneurship in the digital economy through the relationship between entrepreneurial motivations, perceptions, institutional barriers and resilience-oriented support mechanisms. The study applies qualitative literature analysis, comparative conceptual analysis and secondary statistical analysis. The research is based on academic literature on gender and entrepreneurship, push-pull motivation theory, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, stereotype threat and access to finance. It also uses verified international evidence from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the World Bank, the OECD and the European Investment Bank. The article identifies four key dimensions of gendered entrepreneurial resilience: motivational resilience, cognitive resilience, resource resilience and ecosystem resilience. The results show that women are more often motivated by autonomy, flexibility, economic necessity and social value, while men are more frequently associated with financial success, status and opportunity-driven growth. The study also demonstrates that women’s entrepreneurship is constrained by financial barriers, care responsibilities, stereotype threat, weak networks and unequal institutional support.Gender differences in entrepreneurship are not natural or fixed. They are produced by social norms, institutional structures, financial systems, education, digital skills and family policy. Therefore, women’s entrepreneurship requires coordinated support rather than fragmented interventions. Further research should focus on empirical testing of the Gendered Entrepreneurial Resilience Compass, women’s digital entrepreneurship, gender bias in venture capital, the influence of care infrastructure on business growth and the role of female role models in strengthening entrepreneurial self-efficacy.