The influence of feminine attributes on the perception generated about women entrepreneurs

Details

Supervisors

Pleyers, Gordy

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

This thesis aims at extending the study previously carried out by Ms. Delcourt. Indeed, even if the world of entrepreneurship is often typically assimilated to male characteristics, many women decide each year, to throw themselves into the deep end and try their luck with potential investors. According to the results obtained earlier, they are even evaluated better than their male counterparts. However, we could ask ourselves if women, who are often judged on their appearance and feminity, could receive different evaluations and investments depending on the presence or absence of feminine attributes such as make-up or jewelry. To answer these different questions, we conducted a quantitative study based on publicities on which women entrepreneurs (with and without feminine entrepreneurs) stand to represent their strat-ups. Despite the numerous theoretical researches showing an evolution in mentalities, our results nevertheless demonstrate a negative impact of feminine attributes on the perceptions of women entrepreneurs.