Analyzing the Impact of Gender on Entrepreneurship and Innovation: evidence from university graduates

Abstract

The relationship of gender, educational background, and commercialization is a consequential but an unresolved issue. We address this by examining the ways that educational background influences the propensity of university graduates to commercialize. Our framework emphasizes higher education as an important context in fostering the development of human capital for commercialization. Using data from the University of Toronto survey of graduates, we differentiate: (1) educational background (degree levels, fields), (2) types of entrepreneurship (for profit, not-for-profit firms), and (3) innovation (patents, trademarks, copyrights). 

The results highlight that in analyzing the role of gender in innovation and entrepreneurship, we need to differentiate the type of firm (for profit and not for profit) as well as type of innovation (patents, copyrights, and trademarks), and examine the impact of education background and age for each. To be specific, women graduates are less likely than men to become entrepreneurs or innovators in general, but no gender differences appear in creating not-for-profit firms and registering trademarks. Certain educational background matters for entrepreneurship and innovation, and influences women graduates creating firms and innovations, and overall, older respondents are more entrepreneurial or innovative than younger ones.