Financement participatif et entrepreneuriat féminin : un moyen de briser le second plafond de verre?

Abstract

Diversity and inclusion become more and more the driver of growth and prosperity. Thus, there are more and more women entrepreneurs in the small business sector. Despite the importance of women entrepreneurship as a driver of global economic growth, women entrepreneurs are more likely than their men counterparts to face multiple barriers to the creation, survival and growth of their business. In particular, access to capital is the most critical issue for women entrepreneurs. Bosse and Taylor (2012) refer to this phenomenon as the second glass ceiling. This paper focuses on gender differences in the use of traditional financing. It also examines how crowdfunding might democratise the access to capital for women entrepreneurs. Using a theoretical and empirical literature review approach, this paper attempts to answer the following questions: Why do women entrepreneurs receive smaller amount of funding than their men counterparts? Does crowdfunding offer an innovative avenue to boost women entrepreneurship?