Innovativeness and business relationships in women-owned firms: The role of gender stereotypes

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between business contacts and innovativeness in women-owned firms and how women entrepreneurs’ perception of gender stereotypes affects this relationship. We test our hypotheses using data obtained through a survey of 107 women entrepreneurs in Spain. The results show that maintaining close contacts with managers/entrepreneurs in different industries and with customers is significant in explaining innovativeness in women-owned firms. The stronger the women entrepreneurs’ perception of stereotypes that depart from the masculine profile of the entrepreneur, the stronger the influence of these two types of close contact on innovativeness.