Gender, Religion, and Entrepreneurship in Russia: A Longitudinal Decomposition Perspective

This article examines the role of religion in explaining the gender gap in entrepreneurship in Russia —an often-overlooked variable. Using data from 16,684 individuals (2016–2022), this research employs a longitudinal decomposition analysis of levels and changes (extensions of the Kitagawa-Oaxaca-Blinder method). Remarkably, participation in Orthodox religious events is positively associated with entrepreneurship and plays a relevant role in reducing gender gaps —through its effects on social capital. These results remain significant after controlling for an extensive set of variables, including marital status, number of children, education, age, health status, physical activity, trust, migration background, ethnicity, and residency in major cities such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Additionally, the study distinguishes between necessity-based (self-employment) and opportunity-based entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the findings indicate that significant progress has been made in narrowing the gender gap in entrepreneurship in Russia, offering insights that may inform comparative scholarly work on context-sensitive entrepreneurial entry.