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The Gender of the Entrepreneur and the Politics of Entrepreneurship for Women: An Exploratory Study

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Work Organization and Human Resource Management

Part of the book series: Management and Industrial Engineering ((MINEN))

Abstract

Based on interviews conducted with Portuguese Institutional Business Associations located in the northern region, we propose firstly to critically analyze how and in what way such organizations that formally represent Portuguese entrepreneurs, at national or regional level, use certain gender logics of inclusion/exclusion to constitute the normative gendered subject of entrepreneurship. Secondly, we intend to further analyze how these organizations explain, justify and legitimize policies of positive gender discrimination and affirmative action that they promote to increase participation of women in such context. More specifically, we aim to reflect upon the tension that was found in the level of reflexivity related with a discourse of gender equality and how it contributed to rethinking women’s condition in the entrepreneurial practice.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The title of the announcement.

  2. 2.

    We could also make many considerations about the discourses in which such picture can be inscribed, related to ethnicity, age and heteronormativity. Nevertheless, such identity categories are not explored in this chapter.

  3. 3.

    The names were kept confidential to allow a more free use of the quotations and to preserve anonymity.

  4. 4.

    All the names are fictitious.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Emília Fernandes & Regina Leite

Authors
  1. Emília Fernandes
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  2. Regina Leite
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Correspondence to Emília Fernandes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economic and Management Department of Management, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Carolina Machado

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    J. Paulo Davim

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Fernandes, E., Leite, R. (2014). The Gender of the Entrepreneur and the Politics of Entrepreneurship for Women: An Exploratory Study. In: Machado, C., Davim, J. (eds) Work Organization and Human Resource Management. Management and Industrial Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06376-8_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06376-8_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-06375-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-06376-8

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