Women entrepreneurship; women entrepreneurial intention; structural equation modelling; individual competencies; social perception; personal attitude; psychological characteristics.
Women entrepreneurship; women entrepreneurial intention; structural equation modelling; individual competencies; social perception; personal attitude; psychological characteristics.
Entrepreneurship is historically a male predominant activity; however, the last few years presented a significant increase of women participation in entrepreneurial activities in Brazil and all around the world. They bring to the table competence and natural skills in the field, and seek to narrow the gender gap. The women of Rio Grande do Norte are increasingly more involved in such activities and are already the majority when it comes to the main areas of individual micro-entrepreneurship. This paper aims to identify the factors that influence the intention of entrepreneurial women in the companies of Rio Grande do Norte. The applied methodology consisted of three major steps: A initial search at the databases in order to obtain a pre-existing theoretical model; followed by a survey with women entrepreneurs from Rio Grande do Norte in order to gather the necessary data to understand the relevance of the variables defined by the theoretical construction; and lastly, by using structural equations to detect the constructs that contribute to the tackled process. As an expected result, it is sought to achieve a structural model that can serve as the basis for an action plan to be expanded by the female entrepreneurs, so that they are able to improve their skills and entrepreneurial savviness. The expansion of entrepreneurial activities as a whole will affect positively the entire society, allowing economic and social development for the country.