(A Research on Perception Differences of Female and Male Entrepreneurs: The Case of Konya Province)

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this study is to examine how gender differences between male and female entrepreneurs are different in their thinking and perception about entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted on women and men entrepreneurs registered to the Women Entrepreneur Board and Young Entrepreneurs Council of Konya Chamber of Commerce (KTO). It is hoped that it will fill the deficiency in the studies on this subject. The universe of the research consists of KTO Women and Young Entrepreneur Boards. As a result, a total of 165 valid questionnaires were applied as valid. The questionnaire includes 23 questions on demographic information and 33 questions on the Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy scale. Shaphiro Wilk test, Student t test for comparison of normal distributed data, Mann Whitney u test for non-normal distribution, simple statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and LSD multiple comparison tests, Kruskal Wallis test and All pairwise multiple comparison test, correlation and regression were used in the analysis. Cronbach's Alpha value for reliability analysis for Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy scale is 0,918 and it is high. Findings – As a result of the analysis, it has been found that there was no significant difference between the perceptions of male and female entrepreneurs. It was found that the skills of women entrepreneurs in defining the main purpose and combating unexpected difficulties were different from those of male entrepreneurs. A significant relationship was found between entrepreneurial age and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Discussion – There is no difference between male entrepreneurs and female entrepreneurs in terms of entrepreneurial perception. It is seen that women have higher scores than male entrepreneurs in terms of defining the main purpose, combating unexpected difficulties and developing basic human resources skills. This indicates that women are more social, more resilient and more decisive. The research was conducted among the staff members of certain boards. This research can also be carried out among inexperienced personnel who are trained in Entrepreneurship and apply for state support. The results which will find could be valuable for comparing the two studies.