La creación de empresas en Colombia desde las percepciones femenina y masculina

According to the GEM Report (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) on Colombia female entrepreneurship rate has been lower than the male rate in the last three years. Many factors can explain this situation. We consider in this research the influence of perception variables, i.e. those that are particular to each individual, as those that determine the differences between women and men when they make the decision to start a new business. The review of a theoretical and conceptual framework formed the basis for selecting six variables that we believe explain these differences: fear of failure, self-perception of skills, perceived opportunities, knowledge of other entrepreneurs, business life and motivation to undertake similar business. We use the unified database of GEM Colombia, 2007, 2008 and 2009. The results show that, with similar demographic characteristics of the sample studied, the differences in the rate of entrepreneurship for women in Colombia can be explained by personal characteristics of the entrepreneurs and specifically, the knowledge of other business variables and perception of opportunities. These showed the greatest impact and significance, in explaining the differences between women and men entrepreneurs. The findings may be the starting point for further analysis of the motivations surrounding female entrepreneurship and other personal variables that may affect the decision of women to undertake new business or enterprises.