Abstract:
The aim of this study was to explore the role of gender in entrepreneurial approaches taken by students. The research method was descriptive-survey. To this end, a sample of 580 students (295 females and 285 males) was selected through multi-stage cluster sampling from students at Islamic Azad University in Fars province, Iran. The data were collected through Personality Traits Questionnaire from Kordaneech, Zali, Homan, and Shams (2007). After determining the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, it was administered to the respondents and the collected data were analyzed using t-test and Friedman test. The results showed male and female respondents’ total scores and its component scores for their entrepreneurial approach was higher than average except for ambiguity tolerance. In addition, the results of t-test indicated that there is a significant difference between male and female respondents in their entrepreneurial approach and components such as risk taking and activism, as male respondents scored higher on risk-taking and female respondents scored higher than their male counterparts on activism. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of other six components, i. e. internal locus of control, need to succeed, clearness of thought, ambiguity tolerance, dreaming, and need for challenge. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Approach, Entrepreneurial personality, Gender, Student.
Machine summary:
According to the psychological approach, entrepreneurship studies are directed toward personality traits of entrepreneurs and identifying those traits that separate entrepreneurs from non- students for a given entrepreneurial situation (Bilić, Prka, & Vidović, 2011).
Kordaneech, Zali, Homan, and Shams (2007) considers eight components of locus of control, tolerance for ambiguity, functionalism, risk-taking, seeking achievement, clearness of thought, daydreaming, and need for challenge as the main traits of an entrepreneurial personality and accordingly they constructed a questionnaire to identify Iranian entrepreneurs.
Siadat, Reza Zadeh, and Babri (2012) in their study at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences concluded that the spirit of entrepreneurship among students in general and in terms of its components such as internal locus of control, independence, and creativity is higher than average, except for risk-taking that was lower than average.
Feiz (2009) studied the effect of gender on entrepreneurial characteristics among students at Semnan University in Iran and concluded that in general there is no difference between male and female entrepreneurs.
Akbarzadeh, Halimi, and Khazayi (2012) in their study found that entrepreneurial characteristics such as risk-taking and need for challenge are different in terms of gender.
According to a study done by Sharif Zadeh and Zamani (2006), students scored lower on risk- taking, clearness of thought and need for challenge, but their scored higher on locus of control, need to succeed, activism, and dreaming.
Besides, there were significant differences between male and female students in terms of risk- taking, dreaming, need for challenge and generally in terms of entrepreneurial spirit.