abstract: 'Plain English SummaryWomen entrepreneurs are less happy than men in

  low-income countries, while the opposite holds in high-income countries.

  This negative effect is stronger for less educated women, for women with

  children, and in countries with greater gender discrimination, low

  access to financial resources, and more traditional gender roles. This

  study documents a wellbeing gap between female and male entrepreneurs in

  countries with different levels of economic development. In low income

  countries, women entrepreneurs report lower subjective well-being

  relative to men, while in high-income countries, women entrepreneurs are

  happier than men. In low-income countries, women face more obstacles and

  constraints to being an entrepreneur, such as lower education, lack of

  childcare options, lack of access to finance, unfair legal treatment,

  and more sexist gender roles and traditions. The results are consistent

  with the proposition that in low-income countries women prefer wage

  employment. When their labor market outcomes are limited, they are more

  likely to be ``pushed{''''} into entrepreneurship and derive lower

  satisfaction from their entrepreneurial activities. The primary policy

  implications should aim at equalizing the playing field for men and

  women entrepreneurs, improving labor market conditions, and

  increasingwage-earning opportunities for women.

  The current study presents new evidence on the well-being of women

  entrepreneurs using data from the World Values Survey for 80 countries.

  Results indicate that in low- and middle-income countries, female

  entrepreneurs have lower well-being than male entrepreneurs, while in

  high-income countries, they have higher well-being. Several macro and

  micro-level mechanisms- institutional context, gender roles, and

  individual characteristics-that potentially moderate this relationship

  are explored. The gender gap in well-being is larger in countries with

  higher gender inequality, lower level of financial development, and

  stricter adherence to sexist gender roles. Additionally, women

  entrepreneurs with lower education, more children, and risk-averse

  preferences are more likely to report lower well-being. The results

  suggest several policy mechanisms that can be used to enhance the

  well-being of women entrepreneurs.'
affiliation: 'Love, I (Corresponding Author), Univ Hawaii Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
  USA.

  Love, Inessa, Univ Hawaii Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 USA.

  Nikolaev, Boris, Colorado State Univ, Ft Collins, CO USA.

  Dhakal, Chandra, Royal Thimphu Coll, Thimphu, Bhutan.'
author: Love, Inessa and Nikolaev, Boris and Dhakal, Chandra
author-email: ilove@hawaii.edu
author_list:
- family: Love
  given: Inessa
- family: Nikolaev
  given: Boris
- family: Dhakal
  given: Chandra
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1007/s11187-023-00769-z
earlyaccessdate: MAY 2023
eissn: 1573-0913
files: []
issn: 0921-898X
journal: SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMICS
keywords: 'Well-being; Women entrepreneurs; Institutions; Entrepreneurship;

  Non-economic outcomes'
keywords-plus: 'FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP; BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT; EMPIRICAL-ANALYSIS;
  LIFE

  SATISFACTION; SELF-EMPLOYMENT; ECONOMIC-GROWTH; SMALL FIRMS; HAPPINESS;

  CONSTRAINTS; DIVISION'
language: English
month: 2023 MAY 8
number-of-cited-references: '149'
papis_id: 6dbe4e023e39f9a9a243f527f024c5f5
ref: Love2023wellbeingwomen
times-cited: '0'
title: 'The well-being of women entrepreneurs: the role of gender inequality and gender
  roles'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000983901000003
usage-count-last-180-days: '28'
usage-count-since-2013: '28'
web-of-science-categories: Business; Economics; Management
year: '2023'