The Influences of Satisfaction with the Business Environment and Self-efficacy on Gender Disparities in Entrepreneurial Performance: An Empirical Study of China's Taobao Digital Platform

With an annual increase in the number of female entrepreneurs on digital platforms, gender disparities in entrepreneurial performance have attracted growing research attention. Empirical analyses reveal persistent gender disparities in such performance, with female-operated businesses demonstrating systematically lower performance outcomes than male-operated ventures do. However, the performance gap is significantly narrower on digital platforms than in traditional business settings, suggesting that digital platforms offer more favourable conditions for reducing gender disparities. Such disparities are evident in both environmental satisfaction and self-efficacy, both of which have mediating effects on entrepreneurial performance. This indicates that enhancing satisfaction levels could potentially play a significant role in narrowing gender disparities in entrepreneurial outcomes.