It is evident worldwide that women’s participation in entrepreneurship is lower than that of men. The study aims to identify the factors influencing the entrepreneurial intention of management undergraduate students and to compare whether there are differences in these factors and entrepreneurial intention of male and female undergraduates. The study involved male and female management undergraduates from Sri Lanka and examined entrepreneurial intentions and gender differences. Data from 509 respondents were collected via an online survey and analyzed using PLS-SEM and multi-group analysis s (MGA). Additionally, a two-hour focus group discussion with 12 participants was conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis to gain deeper insights into the phenomenon. All hypotheses were supported for both genders. The R-square value of 63.1% indicates that over 50% of the variance in entrepreneurial intention (EI) can be explained by the independent variables. Qualitative findings reveal that independence, family support, continuation of a family business, societal contribution, power, and personal branding positively influence EI in both men and women. Additionally, women’s entrepreneurial intentions are particularly motivated by success stories of other female entrepreneurs and support from female peers, highlighting the importance of role models and peer support in fostering women’s entrepreneurship. The study found that individuals’ perceptions of how others view them as entrepreneurs (subjective norms - SN) positively influence their attitudes toward entrepreneurship (AT), with differences observed between genders. Social group pressure on women can significantly influence their entrepreneurial intentions and attitudes toward entrepreneurship.
Silva et al. (Thu,) studied this question.