Gender and age structure of the Czech entrepreneurial activity: any trend changes?

Purpose This study aims to provide an overview of the trends in Czech entrepreneurial activity, focusing on its age and gender structure. Design/methodology/approach The study exploits quarterly data obtained from the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade covering the years 2016–2023. In particular, the authors seek to study whether women’s participation in entrepreneurship has significantly increased over the studied period and whether the trend in the age structure has shifted in the post-pandemic development. Findings Based on the paired t-tests and regression analyses, the results show that the male-to-female entrepreneurs’ ratio has not significantly declined, staying at 1.8–2, depending on the indicator used. The obtained results, however, interestingly show that the proportions of entrepreneurs have significantly increased, especially in the age cohorts above 46 years and even above the age of 60 years, which is in line with the ongoing trends of population ageing and the ability of individuals to stay active on the labour market even in post-retirement age. Originality/value The study thus provides recommendations for Czech policymakers, discussing further possibilities of supporting female and senior entrepreneurship and avenues for future research.