CALL FOR PAPERS: SPECIAL ISSUE Constructionist/institutional influences on gender and entrepreneurship

The International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, published by Emerald,is a new academic journal which aims to facilitate the natural evolution of the field by drawing together the very best research contributions on gender and entrepreneurship from around the world. Accordingly, we invite submissions to a special issue of the journal exploring constructionist/institutional influences on gender and entrepreneurship.

Institutions are critical influences which structure how we order our actions and environment. Whilst institutional/constructionist theory is well established in the social sciences and has also been explored within organizational theory regarding management and business issues, it has been relatively under-employed as an analytical framework to explore entrepreneurship. Regarding the extant research surrounding gender and women, the general tone of the discussion has tended to reflect a comparative binary approach that positions men and women and their businesses as essentially different. Contemporary critiques of this stance suggest that this presents a picture of separate spheres of activity, which is overly simplistic and unrepresentative of business venturing/ownership. This approach ignores both the isomorphic influence of institutions and, conversely, the manner in which they shape and reproduce differences such as those articulated through gendered characterisation and hierarchies. We believe that institutional/constructionist approaches will offer a novel approach to understanding gendered experiences of entrepreneurship whilst contributing to the sophistication of the current debate. Consequently, we invite submissions to this special issue of the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship which explores the critical interface between institutional theory, gender and entrepreneurship; comparisons between countries and cultures are welcome.

Issues we envisage which would be of interest would include but not be limited to:

The impact of gendered institutions such as: the nation state, the family, corporation, economy, data and statistics, labour market, regulatory regimes, religion, etc.
Masculinity as a normative frame which impacts on women and men
How statistics, data collection and analytical processes are gendered and create a particular explanation of entrepreneurship
The construction and enactment of the gendered entrepreneurial identity
Any other issue of relevant debate which accords with the theme of this special issue.

Expressions of interest are welcome. Please contact the Editors:

Associate Professor Helene Ahl: helene.ahl@hlk.hj.se

Professor Susan Marlow: smhum@dmu.ac.uk

Professor Teresa Nelson: teresa.nelson@simmons.edu

Final papers are due by July 15th 2009, with publication envisaged in Spring 2010. Final manuscripts should be submitted via the IJGE online submission system: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijge with authors indicating that they are submitting for this special issue. (See author guidelines at: www.emeraldinsight.com/ijge.htm)