Investigating Gender Inequality and Entrepreneurship Within the Irish Hair and Beauty Sector

Dowd, Rachel (2021) Investigating Gender Inequality and Entrepreneurship Within the Irish Hair and Beauty Sector. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Purpose: By investigating gender and entrepreneurship within the Irish hair and beauty sector, it gives insight into the factors and that contribute to gender inequality in entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were carried out and qualitative methods were used to analyse the data.

Findings: Gender perceptions can have a negative impact on the perceptions of women as entrepreneurs. Gender seems to have role in entrepreneurial motivations. Gender does not appear to be a barrier to accessing finance. Non-financial supports are equally important to female entrepreneurs as financial supports.

Research limitations/implications: The experiences of the small sample size of participants may not be an accurate representation of the experiences of the hair and beauty industry as a whole.

Practical implications: Results from the study highlight that gender bias is not a factor in the financing of female entrepreneurs. However, there appears to be an underlying bias in the eligibility criteria for certain entrepreneurial support programmes and schemes, which exclude female entrepreneurs from the hair and beauty sector from applying for these programmes. Recommendations for changes to these criteria can be found in-text.

Originality/value: This may be the first study to examine gender inequality and entrepreneurship within the Irish hair and beauty sector.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	gender; gender inequality; gender bias; gender perceptions; gender beliefs; financing; entrepreneurship; hairdressing; microfinance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory > Entrepreneurship H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman > Gender D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain > Ireland H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Specific Industries > Service Industry
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Clara Chan
Date Deposited:	16 Dec 2021 10:51
Last Modified:	16 Dec 2021 10:51
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/5246

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