Diversity in Entrepreneurship

Full course description

Across the globe, increasing numbers of women are striking out on their own and they set up new businesses. In OECD countries, more women than men start businesses. The number of women being educated to degree level and above has also risen internationally. With the growing interest in women’s rights around the world, women’s economic empowerment and the recognition of its relevance have notably progressed too. Taking the perspective of women and entrepreneurship, this course takes a different approach on the role of the individual in the entrepreneurial process. As long as the dominant paradigm is to distinguish between entrepreneurship and female entrepreneurship, one could make the claim that a classical entrepreneur is seen as a male subject. The course does not aim to bring down gender barriers or be a strong activist voice for gender equality. Rather this course acknowledges that there are differences between the way men and women go about being entrepreneurs. This course strives to teach students the best from both worlds. The course will do so by focussing on entrepreneurship with different gender, economical, and cultural contexts and explore which lessons one may draw from these different contexts, both from an academic as well as from a practical perspective. Rooted in a strong academic base the course will consider entrepreneurial concepts in different contexts leading to context-rich learning and a better appreciation of diversified entrepreneurial solutions.