Social Networks Of Female Entrepreneurs

It is widely acknowledged that woman’s networks and their social capital considerably differ from men’s. Given that social capital is an important resource for getting ahead in society it is important to understand these differences. Do women and men create different forms of social capital and are there differences in the benefits of social capital? What are the benefits of social networks and social capital, concerning local and non-local ties as well as ties on the micro and the macro (neighbourhood) level for women’s businesses? These questions are addressed in order to determine whether gender differences impact the way entrepreneurs run their business. Findings show that men and women differ in their number of weaker ties. In addition, women benefit from neighbourhood social capital and not so much from actual network ties, whereas for men the opposite holds, they benefit from diversity in actual network ties.