Women and entrepreneurship in developing countries

label Diverse calendar_month 2013-04-22, 00:00 autorenew 2025-09-29, 17:01 history_edu Diana Ignat

Policies, perspectives and practices to close the gender gapAre you interested in women's entrepreneurship promotion and keen on learning more about economic development from a gender perspective? Are you a master- or PhD student, working as a policy maker, project manager or researcher in the field of business and international development? Then this course is designed just for you!

Women entrepreneurs are the rising stars of the economies and every day more and more women are starting new businesses. Whether micro, medium-sized or large scale, motivated by pure survival or for self-fulfillment, women entrepreneurs are realizing ideas, generating income and creating employment opportunities for themselves and others. In fact, women entrepreneurs have been designated as the new engines for growth to bring prosperity and welfare.

But, however the growing number of women entrepreneurs and a significant increase of policies and resources available for support and promotion, women still own and manage fewer businesses than men and earn less money. Why is that? Are women less entrepreneurial? Are they less skilled, less talented than men? No, of course not! The reason is that there is a gender dimension to entrepreneurship. In this course we will explore the question: why does the gender gap in entrepreneurship persist and what can we do about it?During two weeks you will be offered presentations, lectures, workshops, literature, data and other resources that help you understand the broader macro- and socioeconomic context that impacts on development and entrepreneurship. We will explore the different opportunities and boundaries to business in different countries.

Furthermore, we will explore how institutionalized gender inequality influences the entrepreneurial process and behavior entrepreneurs. Lastly, we will explore and discuss the effects and impact of the policies and practices that are applied worldwide to promote women's entrepreneurship. The 1 million dollar WED Tender During the course you are challenged to design an initiative in a developing country. The task: create an enabling environment for stronger start-ups and business growth that successfully unleashes the economic potential of women entrepreneurs. The reward: an imaginary investment of 1 million. We will also organize a WEP Business Lounge and provide you with the opportunity to share your experiences with women entrepreneurs in the Netherlands.

Period
22-07-2013 - 02-08-2013 (2 weeks)

Target group
Current students at a university and/or graduated from a university. Minimum age for participation is 18. Good ability to speak, read and write in English.



Course aim
Understand the gender-bias of the macro- and socioeconomic context. How does the economic, political, cultural and social context impacts on women and entrepreneurship?Explain the gender differences in entrepreneurship between countries. Is the gender gap in entrepreneurship bigger in certain regions or countries and why? What motivates men and women entrepreneurs from different countries and how do their businesses perform? We will focus on the countries that you originate from.

Develop new insights on practices and policies for womens entrepreneurship promotion. How to boost women entrepreneurs worldwide and support them to increase access to resources and business opportunities? What tools or frameworks turn small-scale womens businesses into successful ventures with greater sales and employment opportunities?

Credits
4.0 ECTS credits

Course fee
EUR 700: Course + course material

Course leader
Saskia Vossenberg, Maastricht School of Management

Scholarships
Not available.

Maastricht University + Maastricht School of Management Student Service Centre
Address: Bonnefantenstraat 2 P.O. Box 616
Postal code: 6211 KL Maastricht
City: Maastricht
Country: Netherlands
Website: www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/summerschool
E-mail: summerschool@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Phone: +31433885295