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From Imposter Fears to Authenticity: A Typology of Women Entrepreneurs

Title:

From Imposter Fears to Authenticity: A Typology of Women Entrepreneurs

Chadwick, Ingrid and Dawson, Alexandra ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6310-6169 (2023) From Imposter Fears to Authenticity: A Typology of Women Entrepreneurs.

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Official URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11187-0...

Abstract

Research has established that entrepreneurship is a masculine domain in which women are likely to experience identity conflict due to the diverging meanings and behavioral expectations of being an entrepreneur versus being a woman. In this study we adopt a social identity perspective to investigate how women entrepreneurs perceive their gender in the face of this potential identity conflict. By analyzing the narratives from 20 in-depth interviews with women entrepreneurs, complemented by three focus groups with 44 further women, we contribute to entrepreneurship literature by offering a typology of women entrepreneurs. Based on their perceived gender-entrepreneurial fit and mindset, we characterize these entrepreneurs as experiencing Imposter Feelings, Acceptance or Authenticity. Through this typology our research illustrates that there is variation in women’s perception of their gender in entrepreneurship, indicating that, while some women entrepreneurs experience imposter feelings from the identity conflict of being both a woman and an entrepreneur, others avoid or overcome such an identity conflict, finding ways to benefit from being different in the face of male dominated views of entrepreneurial success.

Divisions:Concordia University > John Molson School of Business > Management
Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Authors:Chadwick, Ingrid and Dawson, Alexandra
Date:14 June 2023
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):10.1007/s11187-023-00795-x
ID Code:992672
Deposited By: Alexandra Dawson
Deposited On:31 Aug 2023 15:53
Last Modified:15 Jun 2024 00:00
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