Do engineering students intend to be entrepreneurs?: A case study from the University of Minho, Portugal

Abstract

In Portugal, the total early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) suggests an imbalance between the entrepreneur gender, with occasional advances and setbacks. Given the importance of the promotion of entrepreneurship, the authors propose to explore the gender differences in the entrepreneurial intents of engineering students at the University of Minho, Portugal. Since engineering contributes to innovative technological advances, this research presents the results of a survey administered to 218 engineering students. Analyzing the perspective of planned entrepreneurship according to gender, it is found that there may be differences between male and female students. Therefore, the study suggests reflecting on entrepreneurial education and the recognition of the specificities arising from gender in order to increase the rate of young entrepreneurship. From a practical point of view, the assessment suggests the need for universities to approach entrepreneurial education more flexibly, fostering a focus on the cases and life stories of men and women entrepreneurs.