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The moderating role of gender in shaping entrepreneurial intentions: Implications for vocational guidance

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Abstract

This study examines the relationships among attitude toward entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, subjective norms, social valuation of entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial intentions and how gender affects the relationships. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the responses obtained from 719 Malaysian students across five universities. The results suggest gender significantly moderates the relationship between students’ entrepreneurial intention and its antecedents. While entrepreneurial attitude and self-efficacy had greater effects on males’ intentions to become entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial attitude and subjective norms had stronger impact on females’ entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, social valuation of entrepreneurship had an indirect relationship with entrepreneurial intention through self-efficacy and subjective norms.

Résumé

Le rôle modérateur du genre dans le façonnement des intentions entrepreneuriales: Implications pour le conseil et l’orientation. Cette étude examine les relations entre les attitudes envers l’entreprenariat, le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle entrepreneurial, les normes subjectives, la valeur sociale de l’entreprenariat et les intentions entrepreneuriales, ainsi que la manière dont le genre influence ces relations. Des modèles d’équations structurales sont utilisés pour analyser les réponses de 719 étudiants Malaisiens provenant de cinq universités. Les résultats suggèrent que le genre modère de manière significative la relation entre l’intention entrepreneuriale des étudiants et ses antécédents. Alors que les attitudes entrepreneuriales et le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle ont un plus grand effet sur les attitudes entrepreneuriales des hommes, les attitudes entrepreneuriales et les normes subjectives ont davantage d’impact sur les attitudes entrepreneuriales des femmes. De plus, la valeur sociale de l’entrepreneuriat est indirectement liée aux intentions entrepreneuriales au travers du sentiment d’efficacité personnelle et des normes subjectives.

Zusammenfassung

Die moderierende Rolle von Geschlecht in der Gestaltung von unternehmerischen Absichten: Implikationen für die Berufsberatung. Diese Studie untersucht die Beziehungen zwischen der Einstellung zum Unternehmertum, unternehmerischer Selbstwirksamkeit, subjektiven Normen, sozialer Bewertung von Unternehmertum, unternehmerischen Absichten und wie das Geschlecht die Beziehungen beeinflusst. Für die Analyse der 719 malaysischen Studenten von fünf Universitäten wurden Strukturgleichungsmodelle verwendet. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass das Geschlecht die Beziehung zwischen der unternehmerischer Absicht der Studenten und deren Prädiktoren signifikant moderiert. Während die unternehmerische Einstellung und Selbstwirksamkeit eine größere Auswirkung auf die Absicht Unternehmer zu werden bei den Männer aufzeigte, wiesen unternehmerische Einstellung und subjektive Normen eine stärkere Auswirkung auf die unternehmerischen Absichten der Frauen auf. Darüber hinaus hatte die soziale Bewertung des Unternehmertums vermittelt durch Selbstwirksamkeit und die subjektive Normen eine indirekte Beziehung mit der unternehmerischen Absicht.

Resumen

El efecto del género en la formación del espíritu emprendedor: Implicaciones para la orientación profesional. Este trabajo estudia las relaciones entre la actitud frente al emprendedurismo, la autosuficiencia emprendedora, la subjetividad, la valoración del emprendedurismo a nivel social y el propio espíritu emprendedor, así como el efecto del género sobre dichas relaciones. Se analizaron las respuestas de 719 estudiantes malayos de cinco universidades distintas mediante un procedimiento de modelización por ecuación estructural (structural equation modeling). Los resultados obtenidos parecen indicar que el género influye de manera significativa en la relación entre la actitud previa o tradicional de los estudiantes frente al emprendedurismo y su espíritu emprendedor. En el caso de los hombres, el espíritu emprendedor y la confianza en uno mismo determinaron mayoritariamente la voluntad de emprender. En el caso de las mujeres, los factores determinantes resultaron ser el espíritu emprendedor y las barreras subjetivas. Además de esto, se detectó una influencia indirecta entre la valoración social del emprendedurismo y la voluntad emprendedora, a través de los factores de autoconfianza y subjetividad.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Entrepreneurship, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Afsaneh Bagheri

  2. Faculty of Educational Studies, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia

    Zaidatol Akmaliah Lope Pihie

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  1. Afsaneh Bagheri
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  2. Zaidatol Akmaliah Lope Pihie
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Correspondence to Afsaneh Bagheri.

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Bagheri, A., Lope Pihie, Z.A. The moderating role of gender in shaping entrepreneurial intentions: Implications for vocational guidance. Int J Educ Vocat Guidance 14, 255–273 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-014-9269-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-014-9269-z

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