Family matters: Gender, networks, and entrepreneurial outcomes

In this article, we explore several factors that may have an effect on business start-ups, focusing on possible gender differences. We conceptualize social capital as inhering in people's relations with others and examine the association between men's and women's social capital and their likelihood of starting a business. Two aspects of respondents' social capital are highlighted: the extent to which their business discussion networks are heterogeneous and the extent to which they contain a high proportion of kin. We show that a high proportion of kin and homogeneity in the network, rather than a high proportion of females in the network or being female, are critical disadvantages facing potential small business owners.