Not ready yet: why accelerators may not close the gender gap in entrepreneurship as expected

Abstract

While existing research shows that accelerators play an important role in closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship, our study aims to critically assess the role of accelerators in relation to gender‐related structural inequalities, rather than individual‐level barriers, that women entrepreneurs face in the neoliberal entrepreneurial ecosystem. Drawing on Butler's (1990) work on gender performativity in which performativity is understood as citational practices, we examine the everyday discourses of six highly regarded Swedish accelerators on the entrepreneurial projects they support and the entrepreneurs they work with. Our Critical Discourse Analysis indicates that even in countries where gender equality policies are promoted, such as Sweden, accelerators' communicative acts “cite” and “reiterate” the gender and cultural norms of the Swedish entrepreneurial system, which is characterized by long‐standing disparities in gender‐based sectoral segregation and rooted in a strong individualistic culture under the influence of neoliberal policies and practices. In doing so, we question the readiness of accelerators to facilitate women entrepreneurship and suggest that they should instead work with key stakeholders, including feminist activists and policymakers, to confront and mediate systemic and structural gender inequalities.

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ORCID for Laura Costanzo: orcid.org/0000-0002-7197-6778

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