Entrepreneurs' gender and small business going green

Abstract

PurposeFor small businesses, the strategic objective of going green may be a gendered process. Male and female entrepreneurs, due to their gender roles, respond differently to intrinsic motivations and extrinsic pressures to go green. This study aims to investigate whether women-run or men-run firms are more likely to go green due to intrinsic motivations versus extrinsic pressures. Moreover, it examines how the effect of gender on going green is moderated by market competition and gender inequality.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a dataset of small businesses in 40 countries, mostly developing, in Eastern Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa.FindingsWomen-run firms are more likely to go green due to both intrinsic motivations and extrinsic pressures compared to men-run firms. Notably, market competition weakens the positive effect of female ownership on firm going green while gender inequality amplifies the relationship.Originality/valueThis research is one of the first to examine the gendered process of going green in small businesses. Using the social feminist and institutional theories to understand how male and female entrepreneurs go green for different types of motivations, this research expands understanding of the green transition of small businesses.