Entrepreneurial Activity, Self-Perception and Gender

Drawing on Bem's psychological theory of self-perception, this paper presents and tests a model that examines the impact of gender and entrepreneurial activity on entrepreneurial self-perception. Based on a sample of alumni of a large Midwestern U.S. university, regression techniques are used to identify those activities associated with self-perceptions of entrepreneurship, as well as direct and indirect effects of gender. Results support the model of both direct and indirect effects of gender. The paper provides insights into gender issues in entrepreneurship as well as the definition of entrepreneurship in general.