Perceptual factors explaining the gender gap in entrepreneurial propensity: A replication and extension

Perceptual factors explain a large part of the gender gap in entrepreneurial propensity. The study by Koellinger et al. (2013) is an influential study in this literature stream. We replicate this study with more recent data and broader country coverage. Our findings show that gender differences in entrepreneurial propensity still exist (although the effect size has been reduced substantially) and can be attributed to differences in perceptions of entrepreneurial skills. Surprisingly, the negative effect attributed to female respondents becomes positive after taking into account differences in skill perception, meaning that women have a higher entrepreneurial propensity than men. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of this surprising and important finding and provide avenues for future research.