Abstract
The objective of this research is to know which wellbeing indicators, such as work-life balance, educational level, income or job security, are related to the rate of female entrepreneurship in 29 OECD countries. In addition, these countries have been classified according to the motivation of the entrepreneur either by necessity or by opportunity. The empiric study is focused on 29 OECD countries covering the different geographic areas (Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, etc.) Due to the fact that the sample is relatively small, it is essential to use a selective approach when selecting the causal conditions. To this end, fsQCA is the most appropriate methodology for such a small data set. A total of 5 variables have been used: an independent variable (female TEA ratio), and four dependent variables (work life balance, educational level, sustainable household income and job security). Data measuring female TEA ratio have been obtained from Global Entrepreneur Monitor (GEM in Global report, 2015) data base, while data measuring wellbeing dimensions were taken from the Better Life Index (OECD in How’s life? Measuring wellbeing, 2015. http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org). The results of this piece of research show that countries with high sustainable household income together with high level of education achieves high female entrepreneurship ratio with both, a good work-life balance (despite of a high unemployment probability), or a high labour-personal imbalance (in this latter, with a low probability of unemployment).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahl, H., Nelson, T.: How policy positions women entrepreneurs: a comparative analysis of state discourse in Sweden and the United States. J. Bus. Ventur. 30(2), 273–291 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2014.08.002
Andersson, P.: Happiness and health: wellbeing among the self-employed. J. Socio-Econ. 37(1), 213–236 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2007.03.003
Bardasi, E., Sabarwal, S., Terrell, K.: How do female entrepreneurs perform? Evidence from three developing regions. Small Bus. Econ. 37(4), 417–441 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-011-9374-z
Bergheim, S., Schneider, S., Giesel, B., Walter, N.: Measures of Wellbeing. There is More to it Than GDP. Deutsche Bank Research, Frankfurt (2006)
Berglund, H.: Between cognition and discourse: phenomenology and the study of entrepreneurship. Int. J. Entrep. Behav. Res. 21(3), 472–488 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-12-2013-0210
Bianchi, M., Parisi, V., Salvatore, R.: Female entrepreneurs: motivations and constraints. An Italian regional study. Int. J. Gend. Entrep. 8(3), 198–220 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-08-2015-0029
Bittencourt Marconatto, D.A., Barin-Cruz, L., Pozzebon, M., Poitras, J.E.: Developing sustainable business models within BOP contexts: mobilizing native capability to cope with government programs. J. Clean. Prod. 129, 735–748 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.03.038
Boarini, R., Comola, M., Smith, C., Manchin, R., de Keulenaer, F.: What makes for a better life? The determinants of subjective well-being in OECD countries—evidence from the Gallup World Poll. OECD statistics working papers, 2012(3), 0_1 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1787/5k9b9ltjm937-en
Boarini, R., D’Ercole, M.M.: Going beyond GDP: an OECD perspective. Fisc. Stud. 34(3), 289–314 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-5890.2013.12007.x
Bradshaw, J., Hoelscher, P., Richardson, D. (eds.): Comparing child well-being in OECD countries: Concepts and methods. Innocenti working paper, IWP-2006-03. UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence, Italy (2007)
Brindley, C.: Barriers to women achieving their entrepreneurial potential. Int. J. Entrep. Behav. Res. Emerald Group Publishing Limited (2005). Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/13552550510590554
Burke, A.E., Fitzroy, F.R., Nolan, M.A.: What makes a die-hard entrepreneur? Beyond the “employee or entrepreneur” dichotomy. Small Bus. Econ. 31(2), 93–115 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-007-9086-6
Buttner, H.E., Moore, D.P.: Women’s organizational exodus to entrepreneurship: self-reported motivations and correlates with success. J. Small Bus. Manag. 35(1), 34–46 (1997). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com
Carter, S.: The rewards of entrepreneurship: exploring the incomes, wealth, and economic wellbeing of entrepreneurial households. Entrep. Theory Pract. 35(1), 39–55 (2011)
Castaño, M.-S., Méndez, M.-T., Galindo, M.Á.: The effect of social, cultural, and economic factors on entrepreneurship. J. Bus. Res. 68(7), 1496–1500 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.01.040
Castellano, R., Musella, G., Punzo, G.: Structure of the labour market and wage inequality: evidence from European countries. Qual. Quant. 51(5), 2191–2218 (2017)
Cervelló-Royo, R., Moya-Clemente, I., Ribes-Giner, G.: Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Latin America: Who should finance the entrepreneurial ventures of the less privileged? In: Peris-Ortiz, M., Sahut, J.-M. (eds.) New Challenges in Entrepreneurship and Finance, pp. 235–245. Springer, Cham (2015)
Cervelló-Royo, R., Guijarro, F., Martinez-Gomez, V.: Social performance considered within the global performance of Microfinance Institutions: a new approach. Oper. Res. (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12351-017-0360-3
Chaaban, J., Irani, A., Khoury, A.: The composite global wellbeing index (CGWBI): a new multi-dimensional measure of human development. Soc. Indic. Res. 129(1), 465–487 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-1112-5
Chapple, S.: Child wellbeing and sole-parent family structure in the OECD: an analysis. OECD. Social, employment, and migration working papers (82), 0_1 (2009)
Christofides, L.N., Polycarpou, A., Vrachimis, K.: Gender wage gaps, “sticky floors” and “glass ceilings” in Europe. Labour Econ. 21, 86–102 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2013.01.003
Cumming, D., Hou, W., Lee, E.: Sustainable and ethical entrepreneurship, corporate finance and governance, and institutional reform in China. J. Bus. Ethics 134(4), 505–508 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2381-7
Cummins, R.A., Eckersley, R., Pallant, J., Van Vugt, J., Misajon, R.: Developing a national index of subjective wellbeing: the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index. Soc. Indic. Res. 64(2), 159–190 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024704320683
De la Cruz Sánchez-Escobedo, M., Díaz-Casero, J.C., Díaz-Aunión, Á.M., Hernández-Mogollón, R.: Gender analysis of entrepreneurial intentions as a function of economic development across three groups of countries. Int. Entrep. Manag. J. 10(4), 747–765 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-014-0314-7
Diener, E.: Subjective wellbeing. In: Diener, E. (ed.) The Sicence of Wellbeing, pp. 11–58. Springer, Dordrecht (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2350-6_2
Dodge, R., Daly, A., Huyton, J., Sanders, L.: The challenge of defining wellbeing. Int. J. Wellbeing 2(3), 222–235 (2012). https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v2i3.4
Fiss, P.C.: Building better casual theories: a fuzzy set approach to typologies in organization research. Acad. Manag. J. 54(2), 393–420 (2011)
Fleche, S., Smith, C., Sorsa, P.: Exploring determinants of subjective wellbeing in OECD countries (2011)
Fleche, S., Smith, C., Sorsa, P.: Exploring determinants of subjective wellbeing in OECD countries evidence from the world value survey. Working papers, OECD Statistics (2012). https://doi.org/10.1787/5kg0k6zlcm5k-en
Foley, A., Griffith, B.: Education, training and the promotion of high quality entrepreneurs in the Republic of Ireland. In: Scott, M.G., Rosa, P., Klandt, H. (eds.) Educating Entrepreneurs for Wealth Creation. Ashgate, Aldershot (1998)
Garikipati, S.: Microcredit and women’s empowerment: through the lens of time-use data from rural India. Dev. Change 43(3), 719–750 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7660.2012.01780.x
GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor): Global report (2015)
Harter, J.K., Schmidt, F.L., Keyes, C.L.M.: Wellbeing in the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes. A review of the Gallup studies. In: Keyes, C.L.M., Haidt, J. (eds.) Flourishing: The Positive Person and the Good Life, pp. 205–224. American Psychologi cal Association, Washington (2003)
Henry, C., Foss, L., Ahl, H.: Gender and entrepreneurship research: a review of methodological approaches. Int. Small Bus. J. 34(3), 217–241 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242614549779
Hessels, J., Van Gelderen, M., Thurik, R.: Entrepreneurial aspirations, motivations, and their drivers”. Small Bus. Econ. 31(3), 323–339 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-008-9134-x
Iezzi, D.F., Deriu, F.: Women active citizenship and wellbeing: the Italian case. Qual. Quant. 48(2), 845–862 (2014)
Jansson, T.: Housing choices and labor income risk. J. Urban Econ. 99, 107–119 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2016.12.006
Johansen, V., Foss, L.: The effects of entrepreneurship education—does gender matter? Int. J. Entrep. Small Bus. 20(3), 255–271 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1504/IJESB.2013.056889
Judge, W.Q., Hu, H.W., Gabrielsson, J., Talaulicar, T., Witt, M.A., Zattoni, A., Kibler, B.: Configurations of capacity for change in entrepreneurial threshold firms: imprinting and strategic choice perspectives. J. Manag. Stud. 52(4), 506–530 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12121
Kautonen, T., Kibler, E., Minniti, M.: Late-career entrepreneurship, income and quality of life. J. Bus. Ventur. 32(3), 318–333 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2017.02.005
Kephart, P., Schumacher, L.: Has the “glass ceiling” cracked? An exploration of women entrepreneurship. J. Leadersh. Organ. Stud. 12(1), 2–15 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1177/107179190501200102
Kirkwood, J.: Motivational factors in a push–pull theory of entrepreneurship. Gend. Manag. Int. J. 24(5), 346–364 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1108/17542410910968805
Kobeissi, N.: Gender factors and female entrepreneurship: International evidence and policy implications. J. Int. Entrep. 8, 1–35 (2010). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10843-010-0045-y
Kuckertz, A., Berger, E.S.C., Allmendinger, M.P.: What drives entrepreneurship? A configurational analysis of the determinants of entrepreneurship in innovation-driven economies. Die Betriebswirtschaft/Bus. Adm. Rev. 75(4), 273–288 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107415324.004
La Placa, V., McNaught, A., Knight, A.: Discourse on wellbeing in research and practice. Int. J. Wellbeing 3, 116–125 (2013). https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v3i1.7
Langowitz, N., Minniti, M.: The entrepreneurial propensity of women. Entrep. Theory Pract. 31(3), 341–364 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2007.00177.x
Lee, S.S.Y.: Examining policy configurations as conditions for long-term unemployment and non-standard employment in OECD countries using fuzzy-set analysis. Qual. Quant. 47(6), 3521–3536 (2013)
Leffler, E., Svedberg, G.: Enterprise learning: a challenge to education? Eur. Educ. Res. J. 4(3), 219–227 (2005)
Levie, J., Autio, E.: A theoretical grounding and test of the GEM model. Small Bus. Econ. 31(3), 235–263 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-008-9136-8
Maccagnan, A., Wren-Lewis, S., Brown, H., Taylor, T.: Wellbeing and society: towards quantification of the co-benefits of wellbeing. Soc. Indic. Res. 1–27 (2018)
Mandl, C., Berger, E.S.C., Kuckertz, A.: Do you plead guilty? Exploring entrepreneurs’ sensemaking-behavior link after business failure. J. Bus. Ventur. Insights 5, 9–13 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2015.12.002
Martin, B.C., McNally, J.J., Kay, M.J.: Examining the formation of human capital in entrepreneurship: a meta-analysis of entrepreneurship education outcomes. J. Bus. Ventur. 28(2), 211–224 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2012.03.002
McClelland, E., Swail, J., Bell, J., Ibbotson, P.: Following the pathway of female entrepreneurs. Int. J. Entrep. Behav. Res. 11(2), 84–107 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1108/13552550510590527
Millán, J.M., Hessels, J., Thurik, R., Aguado, R.: Determinants of job satisfaction: a European comparison of self-employed and paid employees. Small Bus. Econ. 40(3), 651–670 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-011-9380-1
Minniti, M., Nardone, C.: Being in someone else’s shoes: the role of gender in nascent entrepreneurship. Small Bus. Econ. 28(2–3), 223–238 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-006-9017-y
Mishra, V., Nielsen, I., Smyth, R.: How does relative income and variations in short-run wellbeing affect wellbeing in the long run? Empirical evidence from China’s Korean minority. Soc. Indic. Res. 115(1), 67–91 (2014)
Murias, P., Martinez, F., de Miguel, C.: An economic wellbeing index for the Spanish provinces: a data envelopment analysis approach. Soc. Indic. Res. 77(3), 395–417 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-005-2613-4
Naudé, W., Amorós, J.E., Cisti, O.: Surfeiting, the appetite may sticken: entrepreneurship and happiness. Small Bus. Econ. 42(3), 523–540 (2014)
Ng, T.W.H., Feldman, D.C.: Re-examining the relationship between age and voluntary turnover. J. Vocat. Behav. 74(3), 283–294 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2009.01.004
O’Connor, A.: A conceptual framework for entrepreneurship education policy: meeting government and economic purposes. J. Bus. Ventur. 28(4), 546–563 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2012.07.003
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): OECD guidelines on measuring subjective well-being (2013)
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: How’s Life? Measuring Wellbeing (2015). http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org. Accessed 28 May 2017
Orlova, L.V., Sakhabieva, G.A., Vasyaycheva, V.A., Pronina, N.N.: Impact of educational attainment on the development of female entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan. Indian J. Sci. Technol. (2016). https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i11/89427
Osberg, L., Sharpe, A.: An index of economic wellbeing for selected OECD countries. Rev. Income Wealth 5(3), 291–316 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-4991.00056
Osberg, L., Sharpe, A.: New Estimates of the Index of Economic Wellbeing for Selected OECD Countries, 1980–2007. Centre for the Study of Living Standards, Ottawa (2009)
Parasuraman, S., Purohit, Y.S., Godshalk, V.M., Beutell, N.J.: Work and family variables, entrepreneurial career success, and psychological wellbeing. J. Vocat. Behav. 48(3), 275–300 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1996.0025
Parasuraman, S., & Simmers, C.A.: Type of employment, work–family conflict and well-being: a comparative study. J. Organ. Behav.: Int. J Ind., Occup. Organ. Psychol. Behav. 22(5), 551–568 (2001)
Patrick, C., Stephens, H., Weinstein, A.: Where are all the self-employed women? Push and pull factors influencing female labor market decisions. Small Bus. Econ. 46(3), 365–390 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-015-9697-2
Poggesi, S., Mari, M., De Vita, L.: What’s new in female entrepreneurship research? Answers from the literature. Int. Entrep. Manag. J. 12(3), 735–764 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-015-0364-5
Ragin, C.: The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. University of California Press, Berkeley (1987)
Ragin, C.C.: New directions in comparative research. In: Kohn, M.L. (ed.) Cross-National Research in Sociology, pp. 57–76. Sage, Newbury Park (1989)
Ragin, C.C.: Fuzzy-Set Social Science. University of Chicago Press, Chicago (2000)
Ragin, Charles C., Sonnett, J.: Between complexity and parsimony: limited diversity, counterfactual cases, and comparative analysis. In: Ragin, Charles C. (ed.) Redesigning Social Inquiry. University of Chicago Press, Chicago (2004)
Ragin, C.C.: Redesigning Social Inquiry: Fuzzy Sets and Beyond, vol. 240. University of Chicago Pres, Chicago (2008)
Rahman, S.A., Amran, A., Ahmad, N.H., Taghizadeh, S.K.: Enhancing the wellbeing of base of the pyramid entrepreneurs through business success: the role of private organizations. Soc. Indic. Res. 127(1), 195–216 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-0951-4
Renee Baptiste, N.: Tightening the link between employee wellbeing at work and performance. Manag. Decis. 46(2), 284–309 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740810854168
Rey-Martí, A., Tur Porcar, A., Mas-Tur, A.: Linking female entrepreneurs’ motivation to business survival. J. Bus. Res. 68(4), 810–814 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.11.033
Reynolds, P.D., Bygrave, W.D., Autio, E., Cox, L.W., Hay, M.: Global entrepreneurship monitor, 2002 executive report. London (2002)
Ribes-Giner, G., Moya-Clemente, I., Cervelló-Royo, R., Perello-Marin, M.R.: Domestic economic and social conditions empowering female entrepreneurship. J. Bus. Res. 89, 182–189 (2018)
Ruth Eikhof, D., Summers, J., Carter, S., Eikhof, D.R., Summers, J., Carter, S.: Women doing their own thing: media representations of female entrepreneurship. Int. J. Entrep. Behav. Res. 19(5), 547–564 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-09-2011-0107
Sampedro Gallego, R., Camarero Rioja, L.: Female entrepreneurs in rural Spain—the failed subject of development. Rev. Int. Sociol. 65(48), 121–146 (2007)
Saridakis, G., Marlow, S., Storey, D.J.: Do different factors explain male and female self-employment rates? J. Bus. Ventur. 29(3), 345–362 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2013.04.004
Shepherd, D.A., Douglas, E.J., Shanley, M.: New venture survival: ignorance, external shocks, and risk reduction strategies. J. Bus. Ventur. 15(5), 393–410 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(98)00008-1
Shepherd, D., Haynie, J.M.: Birds of a feather don’t always flock together: identity management in entrepreneurship. J. Bus. Ventur. 24(4), 316–337 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2007.10.005
Shinnar, R.S., Hsu, D.K., Powell, B.C.: Self-efficacy, entrepreneurial intentions, and gender: assessing the impact of entrepreneurship education longitudinally. Int. J. Manag. Educ. 12(3), 561–570 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2014.09.005
Shir, N.: Entrepreneurial Wellbeing: The Payoff Structure of Business Creation. Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm (2015)
Thiem, A., Dusa, A.: QCA: a package for qualitative comparative analysis. R package version 2.0. R J. 5, 87–97 (2013). Retrieved from https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/QCA/index.html
Torri, M.M.C., Martinez, A.: Women’s empowerment and micro-entrepreneurship in India: constructing a new development paradigm? Prog. Dev. Stud. 14(1), 31–48 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1177/1464993413504347
Tur-Porcar, A., Mas-Tur, A., Belso, J.A.: Barriers to women entrepreneurship. Different methods, different results? Qual. Quant. 51(5), 2019–2034 (2017)
Uy, M.A., Foo, M.Der, Song, Z.: Joint effects of prior start-up experience and coping strategies on entrepreneurs’ psychological wellbeing. J. Bus. Ventur. 28(5), 583–597 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2012.04.003
Uy, M.A., Sun, S., Foo, M.Der: Affect spin, entrepreneurs’ wellbeing, and venture goal progress: the moderating role of goal orientation. J. Bus. Ventur. 32(4), 443–460 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2016.12.001
Van der Sluis, J., Van Praag, M., Vijverberg, W.: Education and entrepreneurship selection and performance: a review of empirical literature. J. Econ. Surv. 22(5), 795–841 (2008)
Verheul, I., Stel, A.Van, Thurik, R.: Explaining female and male entrepreneurship at the country level. Entrep. Reg. Dev. 18(2), 151–183 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1080/08985620500532053
Witbooi, M., Ukpere, W.: Indigenous female entrepreneurship: analytical study on access to finance for women entrepreneurs in South Africa. Afr. J. Bus. Manag. 5(14), 5646–5657 (2011)
Woodside, A.G., Bernal, P.M., Coduras, A.: The general theory of culture, entrepreneurship, innovation, and quality-of-life: comparing nurturing versus thwarting enterprise start-ups in BRIC, Denmark, Germany, and the United States. Ind. Mark. Manag. (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2015.11.003
Acknowledgements
This work has been funded by the R + D project for emerging research groups with reference (GVA) GV/2016/078.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ribes-Giner, G., Moya-Clemente, I., Cervelló-Royo, R. et al. Wellbeing indicators affecting female entrepreneurship in OECD countries. Qual Quant 53, 915–933 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-018-0796-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-018-0796-4