Next Article in Journal
What Influences the Implementation and Sustainability of Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Interventions? A Case Study from Southern Bangladesh
Previous Article in Journal
Marketing Orientation of Entities on the Tourism Market
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Sustainability
Volume 13
Issue 21
10.3390/su132112047
sustainability-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles thumb_up
...
Endorse textsms
...
Comment
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Review

Women Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Review and Research Agenda

by
Mercedes Barrachina Fernández
1,*,
Maria del Carmen García-Centeno
2 and
Carmen Calderón Patier
3
1
CEINDO, Law and Economics Program, San Pablo CEU University, 28003 Madrid, Spain
2
Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, San Pablo CEU University, 28003 Madrid, Spain
3
Department of Economy, San Pablo CEU University, 28003 Madrid, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 12047; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112047
Submission received: 11 October 2021 / Revised: 25 October 2021 / Accepted: 27 October 2021 / Published: 31 October 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women Entrepreneurs in the New Era: Trends and Challenges)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
In various regions of the world, there is great concern about existing gender differences, which could affect opportunities for economic growth, and how to mitigate them. Entrepreneurship is of great importance to the economy and in a global society, and it is a hot topic for interested public decision makers due to its growing importance in economic activity—as it creates jobs, increases competitiveness and modernizes the economy. Sustainability is also a critical topic when designing the future economy, and combining female entrepreneurship with sustainability results in a very interesting topic to be evaluated when pursuing sustainable development. This paper tries to shed light on the relationship between female entrepreneurship and sustainability by analyzing 28 different papers from the Web of Science (WoS) database. Its main conclusion supports the idea that awareness of women is relevant to sustainability when starting a new company. However, further research is required due to the novelty of the topic and also the existing gaps in knowledge.

1. Introduction and Theoretical Framework

Sustainability is a concept that tries to represent the balance between three different factors: the environment, equity and the economy [1]. This concept is based on the fact that resources are finite and that they should be conserved and utilized wisely with a definition that prioritizes a long-term approach. The sustainability concept is related to what needs to be sustained—such as nature, resources and the community—but it is also associated with what needs to be developed, such as the economy, individuals and society [2].
One step forward in relation to this concept is “sustainable development”, a term that was utilized by the Brundtland Commission in 1987, which was the World Commission on Environment and Development [3]. This concept is focused on solving the actual issues and avoiding harm to the capacity of future generations to solve their own problems.
Sustainability is strongly linked to the variables that affect R&D investment [4] and, therefore, it is a key factor when deciding whether to invest in specific companies.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment are objectives strongly linked with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), with women having a critical role in achieving those SDGs. The SDGs were defined as 17 different goals and were defined as a guide to accomplish sustainable development by 2030. Those goals can be mapped across three different dimensions [5]:
  • The economic dimension. This dimension is related to the cost-efficiency relationship with the purpose of gaining profits and business opportunities, reducing risks, etc.
  • The social dimension. This dimension is related to the health and safety of the individuals, having in mind the respect of laws and regulations, with the purpose of improving the well-being of society.
  • The environmental dimension. This dimension is related to improving efficiency, the utilization of resources and the impacts of different activities on the environment.
The aforementioned objectives, those objectives, gender equality and women’s empowerment, are associated with achieving the millennium development goals, which are focused on eliminating the gender disparity in primary and secondary education [6]. Female entrepreneurs have the power to overcome several challenges, including creating an environment of equity, finding equilibrium, ensuring sustainable socio-economic development, etc. Today, increasing the presence of women in the workforce is defined as a corporate strategy in multiple companies, in order to try to meet those SDGs.
Women represent half of the world’s population and 38.83% of the workforce (on average) according to data from the World Bank [7]; however, female entrepreneurial activities are still far from parity with those of men. There are several research lines supporting the need for more women in the workforce, as entrepreneurs and in general as leaders. For example, according to [8], the presence of women in the leadership of a company (being the founder or a manager) provides new ideas to the industry, better communication within the company and a transformational style for management [9].
In the literature, there is evidence that women have great capabilities, such as innovative and creative thinking, leadership capabilities, social awareness and a good ability to identify opportunities [10], and these abilities are key to achieving greater well-being for society and improving sustainability.
This article aims to provide detailed information on the most relevant published findings related to the role of female entrepreneurs in promoting sustainability. The value of this research is mainly to contribute to providing reasons for supporting women’s entrepreneurship, as although it is well-documented that women’s entrepreneurship increases economic growth, there are other approaches that need attention, especially those related to sustainability. Overall, the article is organized as follows: first, the methods for executing the systematic review are analyzed; second, the results and the discussion of the analysis will be presented. Finally, the main conclusions will be detailed.

2. Materials and Methods

This study was focused on performing a systematic literature review (SLR) of female entrepreneurial activities related to sustainability aims. The SLR is a very useful method when analyzing publications in a concrete period of time [11]. Moreover, this approach is efficient when trying to analyze trends in the topics, and is also a method well-recognized by researchers and scholars for conducting reviews of the field of entrepreneurship [12]. This method is rigorous and it enables one to perform an evidence-focused review [13] of the existing literature.
The criteria followed in this SLR are as follows:
(1)
The database utilized for identifying relevant literature was Web of Science (Core Collection).
(2)
The selected articles were limited to those published in English under a peer-reviewed process.
(3)
The period of time selected was from January 1980 to September 2021. We tried to cover all of the published articles related to the topic.
(4)
All publications such as book chapters, book reviews, books, conference proceedings, reports, working papers, etc. were excluded from this analysis. Only articles were included.
(5)
The following terms were utilized in the search: “female” OR “women” AND “sustainable” AND “entrepreneurship”. The title, keywords and abstract were the scope of that search. The query was: TS = ((female or women) AND sustainable entrepreneurship).
(6)
The abstract of the article was read to confirm its relevance.
(7)
Once the article was confirmed to be relevant for the study based on the previous step, it was downloaded and reviewed exhaustively.
It is interesting to mention that there has not been a restriction to journals with a relevant impact factor and that the database utilized has been identified as one of the most relevant academic search systems [14]. The search was performed on 15 September 2021.
Initially, 64 different manuscripts were identified in the search; however, after applying the exclusion criteria, 28 articles were identified within the scope of this analysis.

3. Results

This section is divided into two different subsections. The first is related to a descriptive analysis of the articles within the scope of the study and the second is focused on an analysis of the content.

3.1. Descriptive Analysis

The purpose of this analysis is to provide preliminary results on the papers found within the scope. Three perspectives are considered in this analysis: by time, by journal and by topic.

3.1.1. Papers by Time

Figure 1 shows how the topic being discussed has increased considerably in recent years, with 2020 having the most published papers related to female entrepreneurship and sustainability. An article related to the topic evaluated was first published in 2010. In the period 2011–2015, no articles were published, but from 2016, the number of articles increased considerably. The search was performed in mid-September, so it is important to highlight that in only nine months of 2021, the number of articles published was higher than in the previous year.

3.1.2. Papers by Journal

This section is an overview of the journals that compiled the papers found. As per Table 1, the articles are distributed in 17 different papers and the average Journal Citation Reports (JCR) Impact Factor for the publications evaluated is 1.92. The journal with the highest number of publications on the topic analyzed is Sustainability, with a total of seven articles. The Journal of Cleaner Production is placed second with a total of four articles. Third place is shared between the Journal of Enterprising Communities—People and Places in the Global Economy and the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, with two papers each. Finally, the remaining journals, shown in Table 1 only have one article related to the topic evaluated.

3.1.3. Papers by Topic and Keyword

Topic

In this section, an overview of the topic addressed in the various papers found within the scope of this analysis is shown.
As reflected in Figure 2, 53% of the articles found are related to gender differences in relation to female entrepreneurship and sustainability. Moreover, 18% of the manuscripts evaluated are linked to the general impact of having women in entrepreneurial activities. An additional 18% are related to the involvement of female entrepreneurs in tourism activities and their impact on sustainability. Finally, 11% of the articles are classified as miscellaneous as they are focused on different topics.

Keywords

In this section, an overview of the most utilized keywords in the papers found within the scope of this analysis is shown.
In Table 2, the most utilized keyword in the studies is “sustainable entrepreneurship” with a total of five occurrences, followed by the term “sustainable development” with four. The keywords “Sustainability”, “Entrepreneurship” and “Women entrepreneurship” are used in three of the articles included in this analysis.

3.2. Content Analysis

This section evaluates, with details, for each topic found in the articles considered, the main findings and conclusions obtained by the researchers that performed the analysis in the different areas. At the end of each subsection, a table summarizes the mentioned findings.

3.2.1. Gender Differences

In the literature, there is a vast number of papers focused on evaluating the gender differences concerning many fields: economics, psychology, businesses, among others. Some of the examples, to name a few, are differences in personality and social behavior [15], the pay gap situation [16] or the differences when deciding to become an investor [17].
Regarding sustainability, in the literature, there is evidence to justify that gender plays a critical role concerning consumption [18] or ethics commitment [19]. Moreover, in the literature available on sustainable entrepreneurship, there is evidence of the growing interest in gender [20].
Today, entrepreneurship is essential for economic growth and is directly linked to job creation [21] and female entrepreneurship plays a key role in the creation of new businesses. The relationship between the presence of more women in the workforce and its consequences is evaluated in different studies [22].
Evaluating how female entrepreneurship is related to the sustainability of the company activities produces interesting results. There is evidence in the literature that confirms that the environmental and social objectives involved in activities related to sustainable entrepreneurship are a more attractive option for creating a company for future women entrepreneurs. Additionally, it seems that sustainable entrepreneurship is a good approach for empowering women and that the female motivations for entrepreneurship and sustainability come from the experience and examples of other female entrepreneurs [23]. This study also showed that considering all the different experience levels for the sustainable entrepreneurs involved in the study, they faced several challenges and ethical concerns when growing the company. In general, the attitudes and consciousness of female entrepreneurs contribute to global sustainability.
Many factors have brought attention to sustainability issues, such as economic growth and social change. Those factors are strongly related to economics, commercial purposes, institutional areas, policymakers or academic research, among others. In the literature, some researchers confirmed that women are more concerned about sustainability issues than men [24].
There are also gender-specific differences when deciding to start a business. Women tend to create businesses based on the identified social problems and the confirmed ecological challenges [25]. Female entrepreneurship is focused not only on financial benefits but also on social impact, while male entrepreneurship is traditionally focused on maximizing financial benefits.
In these analyses of the gender differences, it is interesting to evaluate the factors that influence the decision to become a sustainable entrepreneur from a gender perspective. In general, the decision to become an entrepreneur is evaluated more critically by women, especially considering the impact of the new business idea on society [26].
Even though women’s contributions to their companies are still a debated topic, it has been proven that female entrepreneurship has developed due to a gain-recognition mentality, and to achieve excellence. Even though women face, in general, more difficulties, they also focus on different objectives when starting a business [10].
Evaluating the factors that influence the decision to become an entrepreneur from a gender perspective is not the only interesting area when evaluating gender differences and entrepreneurship. A study [27] analyzed the difficulties for men and women in opening a business in Italy, and the conclusion points out that the key issue concerns the complexity of the business, the self-realization purpose, previous experience, the relationship with other members of the entrepreneurial community and the impact of the business on the environmental and social sustainability.
The first paper evaluated in the scope of this analysis was written in 2010 and based on green entrepreneurship and its relationship with female entrepreneurship. Braun [28] discussed the importance of the green economy as it helps protect natural resources, decreases operating costs by reducing waste and also pollution and supports sustainable community economic development, among others. The results showed that women are more engaged in green issues than men in relation to becoming entrepreneurs. It also suggests the need to extend the research to evaluate the factors that influence a business, specifically to small businesses, with the purpose of moving from a pro-environmental attitude approach to pro-environmental behavior.
At this point, it is interesting to evaluate what equipment women need to empower their presence in entrepreneurship that complies with sustainability objectives. Mujeed et al. [29] tested some hypotheses and concluded that women are more environmentally sensitive than their male colleagues, as female participation in the workforce causes a higher renewable energy consumption. Moreover, this study concluded that enabling women with high technology improves the country’s environmental quality. Furthermore, the inclusion of women in the sustainable development agenda [30] improves the long-term growth of a country.
Considering gender differences when analyzing sustainable economic development, there is evidence that justifies that the most critical influence on the country’s innovative development is the female participation in the workforce and, therefore, the involvement in entrepreneurial activities [31].
Entrepreneurship is a relevant activity when considering actions that bring society a sustainable transformation in production and distribution. Rural entrepreneurship is a key area of the economy of developing countries, and its activities respond actively to climate change and other environmental causes. According to the authors of [32], female entrepreneurs have higher levels of awareness of climate change events and their consequences, and therefore supporting their activities is key to promoting rural economic growth. Another research [33] also confirmed that female entrepreneurs and local entrepreneurs are more likely to be environmentally sensitive.
As mentioned before, female participation is not only key for economic growth but is also important when considering the type of organizations founded by women. According to results [34,35], companies created by women are more likely to create environmentally oriented businesses, than those originated by men. Moreover, those females living in societies with strong stereotypical traditions of gender socialization tend to be more involved in entrepreneurial activities related to the environment than male entrepreneurs.
Increasingly, the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is receiving more attention from governments and policymakers. The largest entrepreneurial ecosystems have been studied [36] to evaluate the proportion of sustainability in startups, concluding that countries with a high Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and with a high proportion of female founders are strongly linked with entrepreneurial ecosystems with high levels of sustainable businesses. More generally, according to the authors of [37], there are four key factors that configure a sustainability-oriented company: social incubation and networking, the external sources of capital that positively affect sustainability, and the gender of the founder, as companies with female leadership are more sustainability-oriented.
Table 3 summarizes the main findings related to gender differences when evaluating sustainability and entrepreneurship:

3.2.2. Impact

The consequences of having more women in the workforce are considerable. There are economic, social, creative or even family benefits.
Concerning female entrepreneurship and considering the importance of entrepreneurial activities in the economy, it is essential to evaluate the impact of female entrepreneurial activities in businesses from different approaches. A study [38] evaluated the importance of women’s businesses, concluding that they have a positive impact on the economy and development of the country. Therefore, a first conclusion could be that the role of female entrepreneurs is key when deploying sustainable practices in different areas: the economy, the environment and society.
In general, the greater the presence of women on corporate boards, the higher the firms’ values [39]. A study [40] evaluated female entrepreneurship in relation to the firm performance, concluding that females involved in the management and ownership of a company tend to increase the company’s sustainable performance. Moreover, the influence of female entrepreneurship leading and owning companies is strongly linked to building communities that are aware of the need for sustainable development [41].
The impact is also related to how the business changes and how the business reacts to those changes. Buil-Fabregá et al. [42] developed an analysis to evaluate the individual dynamic capabilities to ensure business sustainability, concluding that businesses founded by women promote, in greater depth, social and environmental commitment. The findings also suggested that companies with key managerial capabilities could help in slowing down challenging environmental problems such as climate change or mitigating social inequalities.
Table 4 summarizes the main findings related to impact when evaluating sustainability and entrepreneurship:

3.2.3. Tourism

Tourism is an important industry for specific countries whose economies are based on the services sector. The development of tourism is a concept that is evolving with time. Currently, it involves a holistic approach and includes high economic growth rates, high income or high GDP per capita [43]. Moreover, tourism is directly related to different SDGs, specifically related to goals 8, 12 and 14, that are focused on decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production and life below water, respectively.
In this review, female entrepreneurship and its relationship with sustainability were evaluated. It was found that the tourism industry is a specific topic for the articles found. It seems that for researchers, this industry and the involvement of females in the creation of business and the awareness of sustainability are relevant to academia.
Martini et al. [44] studied the importance of female entrepreneurship in the development of sustainable tourism in a very specific case: the rural mountain environments. This study confirmed that authenticity, innovation or even experientiality are relevant female entrepreneurship characteristics when founding a business related to rural environments. Women give importance to different aspects of sustainability, specifically to the social and environmental characteristics, when creating businesses in the tourism industry [45]. The mentioned research confirmed that men are interested in sustainability when creating businesses if it is linked with business opportunities, while, women are interested in creating environmental products and inclusive workplace environments.
There are varied factors influencing tourism development, such as social empowerment, economic empowerment or political empowerment. Abou-Shouk et al. [46] confirmed that the perceptions of women’s work in tourism and women’s entrepreneurship are positively affecting tourism development even in the marine tourism sector [47]. Radovic-Markovic et al. [48] considered the green growth perspective of female entrepreneurship in the tourism sector, finding that not enough attention has been paid to those activities. This study showed that women preferred special educational programs related to their actual or future activities and the lack of funding for tourism companies created by women.
Table 5 summarizes the main findings related to tourism when evaluating sustainability and female entrepreneurship:

3.2.4. Other

Developing a sustainable business model is increasingly important when founding a new business. Stefan et al. [49] evaluated the different factors creating barriers that prevent female entrepreneurs from achieving success, showing that women prefer to select a sustainable business model rather than the traditional, profit-oriented model. Moreover, it showed that the selection of a business model is influenced by internal factors (such as strengths and weaknesses) rather than by external factors (such as opportunities and threats).
Female entrepreneurship is theoretically defined by a framework [50] of five elements, called the “5M framework”. These 5Ms are related to: market (opportunity), management, money, meso environment and macro environment. A study [51] evaluated the country with the highest rate of female entrepreneurship (34%) as reported by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report [52] and proposed a sixth element in this framework. This sixth element, “environmental thinking” shows the concern that female entrepreneurs usually display when creating a new business.
Table 6 summarizes the main findings related to various topics when evaluating sustainability and entrepreneurship:

4. Discussion

The literature related to female entrepreneurship and sustainability is still immature because of the novelty of the topic. Nevertheless, there is evidence to conclude that women are concerned about the future of the planet, and that is why sustainability is a critical topic in the activities performed. The articles found are divided into four different approaches when analyzing the female entrepreneurship industry and sustainability: first, the gender differences and how women become entrepreneurs while considering the green economy, compared to men; second, the impact of the female workforce participating in entrepreneurial activities and its relevance regarding sustainability; third, the importance of female entrepreneurship and its link with sustainable tourism development; and fourth, other topics related to the topic analyzed.
Gender differences when developing entrepreneurial activities and their relationship with sustainability are important to highlight as the studies concluded that companies with more female leaders are more sustainability-oriented. It is vital to confirm that women who develop entrepreneurial activities function as drivers of a nations’ economic development and socio-economic activities, and sustainable activities have already been recognized in the literature in various economies [53,54,55].
According to the literature reviewed, women tend to create businesses based on their knowledge, experience, added value, quality of services offered, and their impact on the environment. On the contrary, men tend to develop businesses based on the benefits that could be obtained.
Having female entrepreneurs involved in ensuring sustainability is positive for the environment, as those activities are beneficial to sharing women’s skills (innovation, creativity and resilience, among others) within the workforce and increasing the probability of developing strategies to avoid contamination and support sustainable activities. This is key to achieving the goals defined in the SDGs and growing the economy in a stable and sustainable way.
It was found that there is a strong relationship between the tourism industry and sustainable development and the authors evaluated the factors that affect those activities. Moreover, the authors agree that there are gender differences when becoming entrepreneurs, especially, considering the sustainability of actions.
The existing theoretical framework that defines female entrepreneurship should be revised to analyze if it is possible to include the environmental approach and specifically reflect women’s awareness of social innovation and environmental opportunities.
Motivations, values, awareness, and social orientation are characteristics of female entrepreneurship that should be promoted and encourage women to take up green entrepreneurship. The support from governments at national and international levels will be critical when defining a sustainable post-carbon future.
Moreover, it is also required to extend the available research to cover the area of sustainable entrepreneurship, considering young entrepreneurs, senior entrepreneurs and the industry in which the entrepreneurial activity is developed.

5. Conclusions

This article proposed a systematic review to identify and analyze the most up-to-date research on female entrepreneurship related to sustainability. This study provided a holistic point of view to identify common points, differences, and gaps in these areas. The descriptive analysis provided in this study shows that the interest in the topic has increased exponentially since 2010, especially from 2016 onwards. The articles were published in various prestigious journals, such as Sustainability and the Journal of Cleaner Production.
This review contributes to the existing literature in different ways. First, as the main conclusion, this review shows that female entrepreneurs could have a stronger potential for sustainable entrepreneurial activities, and this aspect should be supported by policymakers to define a future based on renewable energy. Second, new programs and policies are needed to encourage women to become entrepreneurs, and therefore, foster sustainable activities. Finally, there is a lack of empirical studies in the literature, so more research is needed to evaluate the impact of entrepreneurship in the green economy, and additional data are needed to evaluate the impact of having more female entrepreneurs in the workforce, influencing the sustainability of activities. The analysis of other aspects related to green entrepreneurship could be extended to include the activities performed by young entrepreneurs or senior entrepreneurs.
In general, the historical lack of role models for female entrepreneurship is beginning to evaporate, and there is much female talent in entrepreneurial activities. It is important to take advantage of female characteristics to create businesses that could comply with the SDGs.

6. Limitations

This study has evaluated a large number of articles, and some limitations that have to be highlighted. First, it is necessary to point out that the results have been obtained using a specific query with very particular terms. Therefore, if those terms are changed, the results could be affected.
Another point to consider is that the research has been focused on articles while excluding information from books, conferences and other resources. Additional sources could provide alternative conclusions to this research.
The final limitation is that only one database was utilized, and other databases could extend the literature found and therefore the conclusions drawn.

7. Future Research

According to the research, it is obvious that female entrepreneurship is a very diverse topic, and there are multiple potential directions for future research that could be explored. The first potential line of study could be evaluating the results of the policies related to sustainability in newly created companies to determine the importance of the differences in sustainability policies in companies founded by females and by men. Most of the studies found within the scope of this analysis are focused on the data of a specific country. The second proposed line for future research is related to performing a multi-country evaluation of the sustainability importance in companies founded by females, in a specific region, for example, Europe, to compare if there are differences between Northern European countries and Southern European countries.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, M.B.F. and M.d.C.G.-C.; methodology, M.B.F. and M.d.C.G.-C.; validation, C.C.P.; formal analysis, M.B.F. and M.d.C.G.-C.; investigation, M.B.F. and M.d.C.G.-C.; writing—original draft preparation, M.B.F. and M.d.C.G.-C.; writing—review and editing, C.C.P.; supervision, C.C.P.; funding acquisition, C.C.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by Cátedra Mutua Madrileña-USPCEU, grant number 060516-USPMM-01/17 and by the CEU-Banco Santander Scholarship for International Program.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

  1. Wasiluk, K.L. Beyond eco-efficiency: Understanding CS through the IC practice lens. J. Intellect. Cap. 2013, 14, 102–126. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  2. Stock, P.; Burton, R.J.F. Defining terms for integrated (multi-inter-trans-disciplinary) sustainability research. Sustainability 2011, 3, 1090–1113. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  3. Brutland Commission Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Brundtland Commission. 1987. Available online: www.un-documents.net/wced-ocf.htm (accessed on 7 October 2021).
  4. Hong, S.H. Determinants of Selection of R&D Cooperation Partners: Insights from Korea. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9637. [Google Scholar]
  5. Laukkanen, M.; Tura, N. The potential of sharing economy business models for sustainable value creation. J. Clean. Prod. 2020, 253, 120004. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  6. United Nations. UN Millennium Development Goals and Beyond 2015. Available online: https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/gender.shtml (accessed on 7 October 2021).
  7. World Bank. Labor Force, Female (% of Total Labor Force). 2020. Available online: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS (accessed on 7 October 2021).
  8. Milliken, F.J.; Martins, L.L. Martins Searching for Common Threads: Understanding the Multiple Effects of Diversity in Organizational Groups’. Acad. Manag. Rev. 1996, 21, 402–433. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  9. Rosener, J. Ways Women Lead. Harv. Bus. Rev. 1990, 68, 119–125. [Google Scholar] [PubMed]
  10. Agarwal, S.; Lenka, U.; Singh, K.; Agrawal, V.; Agrawal, A.M. A qualitative approach towards crucial factors for sustainable development of women social entrepreneurship: Indian cases. J. Clean. Prod. 2020, 274, 123135. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  11. Henry, C.; Foss, L.; Ahl, H. Gender and Entrepreneurship Research: A Review of Methodological Approaches. Int. Small Bus. J. 2015, 34, 217–241. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  12. Poggesi, S.; Mari, M.; De Vita, L. What’s new in female entrepreneurship research? Answers from the literature. Int. Entrep. Manag. J. 2015, 12, 735–764. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  13. Jones, M.; Coviello, N.; Tang, Y.K. International Entrepreneurship Research (1989-2009): A Domain Ontology and Thematic Analysis. J. Bus. Ventur. 2011, 26, 632–659. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  14. Gusenbauer, M.; Haddaway, N.R. Which academic search systems are suitable for systematic reviews or meta_analyses? Evaluating retrieval qualities of Google Scholar. Res. Synth. Method 2020, 11, 181–217. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  15. Del Giudice, M. Gender Differences in Personality and Social Behavior. In International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed.; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2015. [Google Scholar]
  16. European Commission. The Gender Pay Gap Situation in the EU. 2018. Available online: https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/gender-equality/equal-pay/gender-pay-gap-situation-eu_en (accessed on 7 October 2021).
  17. Barrachina, M.; García Centeno, M.C.; Calderón Patier, C. Analysis of the factors that influence in the informal investors: Comparison of Spain and India in the period 2012–2016. Int. J. Sci. Res. Publ. 2021, 11, 1–7. [Google Scholar]
  18. Bloodhart, B.; Swim, J. Sustainability and Consumption: What’s Gender Got to Do with It? J. Soc. Issues 2020, 76, 101–113. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  19. Ameen, E.; Guffey, D.; Mcmillan, J. Gender differences in determining the ethical sensitivity of future accounting professionals. J. Bus. Ethics 1996, 15, 591–597. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  20. Vinokurova, N. Sustainable entrepreneurship and women in science and education: Gender equality, gender inequality. Entrep. Sustain. Issues 2015, 2, 202–232. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  21. Kuschel, K.; Labra, J.P.; Diaz, G. Women-led startups and their contribution to job creation. In Technology Entrepreneurship—Insights in New Technology-Based Firms, Research Spin-Offs and Corporate Environments; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2018; pp. 139–156. [Google Scholar]
  22. Mckinsey. What We Lose When We Lose Women in the Workforce. 2021. Available online: https://www.mckinsey.com/about-us/covid-response-center/inclusive-economy/what-we-lose-when-we-lose-women-in-the-workforce (accessed on 9 October 2021).
  23. Outsios, G.; Farooqi, S.A. Gender in sustainable entrepreneurship: Evidence from the UK. Gend. Manag. 2017, 32, 183–202. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  24. Zelezny, L.C.; Chua, P.P.; Aldrich, C. New ways of thinking about environmentalism: Elaborating on gender differences in environmentalism. J. Soc. Issues 2000, 56, 443–457. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  25. Spiegler, A.B.; Halberstadt, J. SHEstainability: How relationship networks influence the idea generation in opportunity recognition process by female social entrepreneurs. Int. J. Entrep. Ventur. 2018, 10, 202–235. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  26. Butkouskaya, V.; Romagosa, F.; Noguera, M. Obstacles to Sustainable Entrepreneurship amongst Tourism Students: A Gender Comparison. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1812. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  27. Dal Mas, F.; Paoloni, P. A relational capital perspective on social sustainability; the case of female entrepreneurship in Italy. Meas. Bus. Excell. 2020, 24, 114–130. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  28. Braun, P. Going green: Women entrepreneurs and the environment. Int. J. Gend. Entrep. 2010, 2, 245–259. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  29. Mujeed, S.; Li, S.; Jabeen, M.; Nassani, A.A.; Askar, S.E.; Zaman, K.; Abro, M.M.Q.; Sriyanto, P.; Jambari, H. Technowomen: Women’s Autonomy and Its Impact on Environmental Quality. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1611. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  30. Mahajan, R.; Bandyopadhyay, K.R. Women entrepreneurship and sustainable development: Select case studies from the sustainable energy sector. J. Enterprising Communities People Places Glob. Econ. 2021, 15, 42–75. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  31. Starchenko, L. Impact of gender aspects of sustainable entrepreneurship on country innovative development. Mark. Manag. Innov. 2020, 4, 304–311. [Google Scholar]
  32. Akinbami, C.A.O.; Olawoye, J.E.; Adesina, F.A. Exploring potential climate-related entrepreneurship opportunities and challenges for rural Nigerian women. J. Glob. Entrep. Res. 2019, 9, 19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  33. Bawakyillenuo, S.; Agbelie, I.S.K. Environmental Consciousness of Entrepreneurs in Ghana: How Do Entrepreneur Types, Demographic Characteristics and Product Competitiveness Count? Sustainability 2021, 13, 9139. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  34. Hechavarría, D.M. Mother nature’s son? The impact of gender socialization and culture on environmental venturing. Int. J. Gend. Entrep. 2016, 8, 137–172. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  35. Liu, Y.; Anser, M.K.; Zaman, K. Ecofeminism and Natural Resource Management: Justice Delayed, Justice Denied. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7319. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  36. Tiba, S.; van Rijnsoever, F.J.; Hekkert, M.P. Sustainability startups and where to find them: Investigating the share of sustainability startups across entrepreneurial ecosystems and the causal drivers of differences. J. Clean. Prod. 2021, 306, 127054. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  37. Marconatto, D.; Ladeira, W.J.; Wegner, D. The sustainability of solidarity economy organizations: An empirical investigation. J. Clean. Prod. 2019, 228, 1122–1130. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  38. Chroneos Krasavac, B.; Karamata, E.; Đorđević, V. Innovative potential of environmentally motivated female entrepreneurship for sustainable development in the Republic of Serbia. Ekon. Poljopr. 2019, 66, 721–735. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  39. Isidro, H.; Sobral, M. The Effects of Women on Corporate Boards on Firm Value, Financial Performance, and Ethical and Social Compliance. J. Bus. Ethics 2015, 132, 1–19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  40. Criado-Gomis, A.; Iniesta-Bonillo, M.-A.; Cervera-Taulet, A.; Ribeiro-Soriano, D. Women as Key Agents in Sustainable Entrepreneurship: A Gender Multigroup Analysis of the SEO-Performance Relationship. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1244. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  41. Rokis, R. Social Enterprising Observance among B40 Urban Women for Socioeconomic Sustainability. Eur. J. Sustain. Dev. 2019, 8, 397. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  42. Buil-Fabregà, M.; Alonso-Almeida, M.M.; Bagur-Femenías, L. Individual dynamic managerial capabilities: Influence over environmental and social commitment under a gender perspective. J. Clean. Prod. 2017, 151, 371–379. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  43. Mihalic, T.; Gartner, W. Introduction to tourism development—Issues and challenges. In Tourism and Developments: Issues and Challenges; Nova Science Publisher’s, Inc.: Hauppauge, NY, USA, 2013. [Google Scholar]
  44. Martini, U.; Malacarne, K.; Pederzolli Giovanazzi, S.; Buffa, F. Sustainable tourism development in rural and marginal areas and opportunities for female entrepreneurship: Lessons from an exploratory study. Worldw. Hosp. Tour. Themes 2020, 12, 421–430. [Google Scholar]
  45. Figueroa-Domecq, C.; Kimbu, A.; de Jong, A.; Williams, A.M. Sustainability through the tourism entrepreneurship journey: A gender perspective. J. Sustain. Tour. 2020, 1–24. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  46. Abou-Shouk, M.A.; Taha Mannaa, M.; Mohamed Elbaz, A. Women’s empowerment and tourism development: A cross-country study. Tour. Manag. Perspect. 2021, 37, 100782. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  47. Caamaño Franco, I.; Andrade Suárez, M.; Pérez García, A. Marine Tourism as an option for sustainable local development based on female empowerment. Cuad. De Tur. 2020, 46, 649–652. [Google Scholar]
  48. Radović-Marković, M.; Živanović, B. Fostering Green Entrepreneurship and Women’s Empowerment through Education and Banks’ Investments in Tourism: Evidence from Serbia. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6826. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  49. Chávez Rivera, M.E.; Fuentes Fuentes, M.d.M.; Ruiz-Jiménez, J.M. Challenging the context: Mumpreneurship, copreneurship and sustainable thinking in the entrepreneurial process of women—A case study in Ecuador. Acad. Rev. Latinoam. De Adm. 2021. ahead-of-print. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  50. Stefan, D.; Vasile, V.; Oltean, A.; Comes, C.A.; Stefan, A.-B.; Ciucan-Rusu, L.; Bunduchi, E.; Popa, M.-A.; Timus, M. Women Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Business Development: Key Findings from a SWOT–AHP Analysis. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5298. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  51. Brush, C.G.; de Bruin, A.; Welter, F. A gender-aware framework for women’s entrepreneurship. Int. J. Gend. Entrep. 2009, 1, 8–24. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  52. GEM. GEM 2018/2019 Global Report. Global Entrepreneurship Research Association. 2019. Available online: https://www.gemconsortium.org/report/gem-2018-2019-global-report (accessed on 27 September 2021).
  53. Terjesen, S.; Lepoutre, J.; Justo, R.; Bosma, N. 2009 Report on Social Entrepreneurship. 2013. Available online: http://www.gemconstorium.org/docs/2519/gem-2009-reporton-oscial-entrepreneurship (accessed on 27 September 2021).
  54. De Vita, L.; Mari, M.; Poggesi, S. Women entrepreneurs in and from developing countries: Evidence from the literature. Eur. Manag. J. 2014, 32, 451–460. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  55. Adom, K. Recognizing the contribution of female entrepreneurs in economic development in Sub-Saharan Arica: Some evidence from Ghana. J. Dev. Entrep. 2015, 20, 1–24. [Google Scholar]
Sustainability 13 12047 g001 550
Figure 1. Article’s distribution over time of the articles found in the research.
Figure 1. Article’s distribution over time of the articles found in the research.
Sustainability 13 12047 g001
Sustainability 13 12047 g002 550
Figure 2. Article’s topic distribution of the articles found in the research.
Figure 2. Article’s topic distribution of the articles found in the research.
Sustainability 13 12047 g002
Table
Table 1. Overview of the distribution of papers by journals.
Table 1. Overview of the distribution of papers by journals.
JournalNumber
of Articles		Impact Factor JCR/Index 5 Years
Sustainability73.251
Journal of Cleaner Production47.246
International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship20.56
Journal of Enerprising Communitis-People and Places in the Global Economy20.55
Journal of Sustainable Tourism17.96
Tourism Management Perspectives16.58
Gender in Management12.293
Academia—Revista Lationamericana de Administración11.108
Benchmarking—An International Journal10.85
Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research10.46
Measuring Business Excellence10.37
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing10.35
Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes10.34
Ekonomika Povoprivreda—Economics of Agriculture10.31
Marketing and Management of Innovation10.28
European Journal of Sustainable Development10.13
Cuadernos de Turismo10.13
Table
Table 2. Keyword occurrence analysis.
Table 2. Keyword occurrence analysis.
KeywordOccurrence
Sustainable entrepreneurship5
Sustainable development4
Sustainability3
Entrepreneurship3
Women entrepreneurship3
Table
Table 3. Findings that relate gender differences with female entrepreneurship and sustainability.
Table 3. Findings that relate gender differences with female entrepreneurship and sustainability.
FindingDescriptionReferences
GD-1Sustainable entrepreneurship is a more attractive option for women.[23,28,29,33,37]
GD-2Women tend to create businesses based on the identified social problems and the confirmed ecological challenges.[25,31,32]
GD-3Women are more likely to evaluate the business idea considering the impact on society and the environment.[26,30]
GD-4Women tend to create environment-oriented businesses.[34,35]
Table
Table 4. Findings that relate impact with female entrepreneurship and sustainability.
Table 4. Findings that relate impact with female entrepreneurship and sustainability.
FindingDescriptionReferences
I-1The role of female entrepreneurs is key when deploying sustainable practices in different areas: economy, environment and society.[38]
I-2Companies founded or managed by females build communities aware of the sustainable development need.[41]
I-3Businesses founded by women promote environmental and social commitment.[42]
Table
Table 5. Findings that relate tourism with female entrepreneurship and sustainability.
Table 5. Findings that relate tourism with female entrepreneurship and sustainability.
FindingDescriptionReferences
T-1Women give importance to different aspects of sustainability, specifically to the social and environmental characteristics, in the tourism industry.[45]
T-2Green growth perspective in relation to female entrepreneurship in the tourism sector has not been widely studied.[49]
Table
Table 6. Findings that relate multiple topics with female entrepreneurship and sustainability.
Table 6. Findings that relate multiple topics with female entrepreneurship and sustainability.
FindingDescriptionReferences
O-1Females are more likely to create companies based on sustainable models than profit-oriented models.[49]
O-2The female entrepreneurship theoretical framework is defined by six elements including environmental thinking.[51]
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Barrachina Fernández, M.; García-Centeno, M.d.C.; Calderón Patier, C. Women Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Review and Research Agenda. Sustainability 2021, 13, 12047. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112047

AMA Style

Barrachina Fernández M, García-Centeno MdC, Calderón Patier C. Women Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Review and Research Agenda. Sustainability. 2021; 13(21):12047. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112047

Chicago/Turabian Style

Barrachina Fernández, Mercedes, Maria del Carmen García-Centeno, and Carmen Calderón Patier. 2021. "Women Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Review and Research Agenda" Sustainability 13, no. 21: 12047. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112047

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop