Gender inclusive entrepreneurship education and training: challenges and indicators

Globally women are under-represented in entrepreneurship education and training (EET) programmes both in universities and in communities. At the same time, content, delivery and evaluation practices often normalize the ideal male entrepreneur from the Global North, overlooking women or gender diverse entrepreneurs in university and community-based EET programmes. To inform pedagogy, this study poses two questions: 1) What are the challenges that limit the enrolment and participation of gender diverse learners in EET programmes? and 2) What are the indicators that characterize inclusive EET programmes? Drawing on the expertise of entrepreneurship educators from 19 countries, a Delphi panel study (n = 85) was employed to reduce and refine a pool of 35 indicators that characterize gender inclusive EET. Supporting a social feminist perspective, findings identify individual, programme, organization and entrepreneurship education ecosystem challenges for gender inclusive EET. Outcomes and impacts of interventions to inform EET that respond to the learning needs of diverse entrepreneurs, students and other stakeholders are discussed. The implications for practice and research are considered, and a summative model of gender inclusive EET is advanced.