Background: Female entrepreneurship has a crucial positive influence on the economy and social advances. Yet, women are still underrepresented in entrepreneurship and are often made to fit a male-centric western entrepreneurship stereotype. Further, many studies on entrepreneurship focus on one context and there is a lack of cross-cultural studies on influential factors and how female entrepreneurs can manage them. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to add to the literature about female entrepreneurship and its influential factors and related management aspects. We utilise a feminist theory lens, which suggests women should be viewed on their own to add female perspectives to literature and broaden the understanding of entrepreneurship. We further follow a cross-cultural comparison between Germany and South Africa as developed and developing contexts, which provides richer and newer insights into the variety of influential factors. Method: Methodologically, this study is based on qualitative interviews and an exploratory research design. In an abductive grounded theory approach, we have interviewed five German female entrepreneurs and five South African female entrepreneurs. In semi-structured interviews, we could gain significant insights from female entrepreneurs about their journey. We further utilised a comparative analysis to sufficiently view the similarities and differences between the two contexts. Conclusion: Through this study, we were able to compare findings from previous studies and further identified new areas that have not been previously studied. We realised that many internal factors are crucial for female entrepreneurship, and we identified five major categories of influential and managing factors.

Esta tese é composta por três ensaios sobre o mercado de trabalho brasileiro, cada um correspondendo a um capítulo. O primeiro ensaio identifica se há uma relação entre doenças cardiovasculares e salários no Brasil com base nos dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde 2013. Utilizaram-se os métodos de regressão quantílica incondicional e de decomposição para quantis por meio de funções de influência. Os resultados das regressões indicaram que, para os trabalhadores nos primeiros decis de renda as perdas salariais podem ser significativas. Para os homens, a incidência de doenças cardiovasculares pode reduzir os salários entre 0,90% e 14,80%; para as mulheres, entre 1,20% e 18%. A decomposição mostrou que homens e mulheres valorizam atributos distintos para o cômputo de seus salários e que os cuidados preventivos de saúde ajudam a explicar a menor incidência de doenças cardiovasculares no caso das mulheres. Os homens, por seu turno, apresentam maior demanda por serviços médicos em idades mais avançadas, o que é corroborado pela estimativa negativa da idade sobre o efeito atribuível às características próprias. O segundo ensaio analisa a relação entre (i) o ciclo econômico e o uso de contatos pessoais para obter emprego por meio de um modelo com parâmetros variantes no tempo; e (ii) a relação entre o uso de contatos pessoais para obter emprego e os salários utilizando-se regressão quantílica. Para tanto, foram empregados os microdados da Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego entre 2002 e 2015. As estimativas indicam que o uso de contatos pessoais tornou-se menos anticíclico ao longo do tempo Em geral, eles mostram que há mais evidências de uma relação de mudança lenta entre contatos pessoais e o ciclo econômico ao longo do tempo, em vez de uma quebra repentina e discreta. Observa-se que as diferenças salariais entre trabalhadores que usam contatos pessoais versus trabalhadores que usam outros canais desaparecem. As evidências apontam que os trabalhadores recorrem a contatos pessoais devido à avaliação de características de trabalho não pecuniárias. Por fim, o terceiro ensaio faz uma análise dos retornos do empreendedorismo feminino no Brasil para o período 1992-2015. Para tanto, faz uso dos microdados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios e uma análise de regressão que incluiu os efeitos idade, período e coorte. Os resultados implicam que as mudanças que são próprias do perfil etário assumem um papel de destaque na evolução dos rendimentos das mulheres que atuam por conta própria e para as empregadoras informais (aquelas com no máximo cinco empregados). O efeito coorte permitiu um acréscimo de renda às autônomas, por meio da abertura e criação de novas oportunidades a esse segmento de mulheres. Contudo, não apresentou nenhuma correlação com os ganhos monetários das empregadoras, sugerindo a existência de “barreiras” para esse grupo. Os efeitos de curto prazo associados às flutuações econômicas tendem a ser contracíclicos, de forma geral, até 2005 e posteriormente são pró-cíclcos. / This thesis is composed of three essays on the Brazilian labor market, each one corresponding to a chapter. The first essay identifies whether there is a relationship between cardiovascular diseases and wages in Brazil based on data from the National Health Survey 2013. The unconditional quantile regression and the quantile-regression based decomposition methods were used, which are based on influence functions. The results of the regressions indicated that, for workers in the first decile of income, wage losses can be significant. For men, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases can reduce wages between 0.90% and 14.80%; for women, between 1.20% and 18%. The decomposition showed that men and women value different attributes for the computation of their wages and that preventive health care helps explain the lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases in the case of women. Men, in turn, have greater demand for medical services at more advanced ages, which is corroborated by the negative age estimate. The second essay analyzes the relationship between (i) business cycle and use of personal contacts to obtain job, and (ii) use of personal contacts to obtain job and wages. To do so, we used the microdata of the Monthly Employment Survey between 2002 and 2015. Time-varying parameter estimates indicate that the relationship between business cycle and use of personal contacts became less countercyclical over time. In general, they show that there is more evidence of a slow changing relationship between personal contacts and the business cycle over time rather than a sudden and discrete one Using quantile regressions, we observed that, controlling for similar observable characteristics, and including unobserved heterogeneity, wage differences between workers using personal contacts versus workers using others channels disappear. The evidences seems to indicate that workers resort to personal contacts because of valuation of non-pecuniary job characteristics. Finally, the third essay analyzes the wage dynamics of women entrepreneurs in Brazil for the 1992-2015 period. To do so, we use the microdata from the National Household Sample Survey. The method consists of a regression analysis that included the effects age, period and cohort. The results suggest that changes in the age play an important role in the evolution of the income of the self-employed and informal employers. The cohort effect allowed an increase in income to the self-employed, through the opening and creation of new opportunities for this segment. However, it did not show any correlation with employers’ monetary gains, suggesting the existence of “barriers” to this group. The short-term effects associated with economic fluctuations tend to be countercyclical, generally up to 2005, and later pro-cyclical.

During the past decade, entrepreneurship and its implications in a developing country context has gained increased attention in research. In Uganda, women in businesss are leading the way in the entrepreneurial development. In addition, the internationalization of small entrepreneurial firms has lately been given more attention within international business research. The purpose of this thesis is to combine these two emerging phenomena within international business in order to investigate how the female entrepreneur's means at hand influence the internationalization initiation of her small and medium-sized enterprise in Uganda. By investigating the subjects in the matter, important components of the entrepreneur's means has been examined. To ensure a deeper understanding, a qualitative research has been followed. This thesis derives from an abductive approach. Due to the lack of previous research on the subject, it benefitted from a combination of inductive empirical research combined with theoretical insights. The literature review takes off from the concept of entrepreneurship and thereafter explores the concept of opportunity, means and internationalization. A conceptual framework concludes the literature review by illustrating the relations between the concepts. The conceptual framwork provided themes for collecting and was used to analyze the empirical data gathered in Uganda by adopting a multi-case approach. The analysis discusses theoretical concepts and empirical findings in contrast and relation to each other, structured by the conceptual framework. This is followed by a concluding chapter stating implications, limitations and suggestions for further research. The outcome of this study has provided a deeper understanding of who the entrepreneur is, what she knows and how she uses her networks and personal ties to go abroad. The findings have resulted in the main theoretical implication of filling the research gap of female entrepreneurship in developing countries as well as providing an example of how the effectual approach can be used when studying entrepreneurship witin international business. We suggest that entrepreneurs and their SMEs benefit from engaging in business networks at an early stage of the internationalization process. Within networks, effectual means are working together to develop market knowledge and find opportunity for international activities.

Esta tese é composta por três ensaios sobre o mercado de trabalho brasileiro, cada um correspondendo a um capítulo. O primeiro ensaio identifica se há uma relação entre doenças cardiovasculares e salários no Brasil com base nos dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde 2013. Utilizaram-se os métodos de regressão quantílica incondicional e de decomposição para quantis por meio de funções de influência. Os resultados das regressões indicaram que, para os trabalhadores nos primeiros decis de renda as perdas salariais podem ser significativas. Para os homens, a incidência de doenças cardiovasculares pode reduzir os salários entre 0,90% e 14,80%; para as mulheres, entre 1,20% e 18%. A decomposição mostrou que homens e mulheres valorizam atributos distintos para o cômputo de seus salários e que os cuidados preventivos de saúde ajudam a explicar a menor incidência de doenças cardiovasculares no caso das mulheres. Os homens, por seu turno, apresentam maior demanda por serviços médicos em idades mais avançadas, o que é corroborado pela estimativa negativa da idade sobre o efeito atribuível às características próprias. O segundo ensaio analisa a relação entre (i) o ciclo econômico e o uso de contatos pessoais para obter emprego por meio de um modelo com parâmetros variantes no tempo; e (ii) a relação entre o uso de contatos pessoais para obter emprego e os salários utilizando-se regressão quantílica. Para tanto, foram empregados os microdados da Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego entre 2002 e 2015. As estimativas indicam que o uso de contatos pessoais tornou-se menos anticíclico ao longo do tempo Em geral, eles mostram que há mais evidências de uma relação de mudança lenta entre contatos pessoais e o ciclo econômico ao longo do tempo, em vez de uma quebra repentina e discreta. Observa-se que as diferenças salariais entre trabalhadores que usam contatos pessoais versus trabalhadores que usam outros canais desaparecem. As evidências apontam que os trabalhadores recorrem a contatos pessoais devido à avaliação de características de trabalho não pecuniárias. Por fim, o terceiro ensaio faz uma análise dos retornos do empreendedorismo feminino no Brasil para o período 1992-2015. Para tanto, faz uso dos microdados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios e uma análise de regressão que incluiu os efeitos idade, período e coorte. Os resultados implicam que as mudanças que são próprias do perfil etário assumem um papel de destaque na evolução dos rendimentos das mulheres que atuam por conta própria e para as empregadoras informais (aquelas com no máximo cinco empregados). O efeito coorte permitiu um acréscimo de renda às autônomas, por meio da abertura e criação de novas oportunidades a esse segmento de mulheres. Contudo, não apresentou nenhuma correlação com os ganhos monetários das empregadoras, sugerindo a existência de “barreiras” para esse grupo. Os efeitos de curto prazo associados às flutuações econômicas tendem a ser contracíclicos, de forma geral, até 2005 e posteriormente são pró-cíclcos. / This thesis is composed of three essays on the Brazilian labor market, each one corresponding to a chapter. The first essay identifies whether there is a relationship between cardiovascular diseases and wages in Brazil based on data from the National Health Survey 2013. The unconditional quantile regression and the quantile-regression based decomposition methods were used, which are based on influence functions. The results of the regressions indicated that, for workers in the first decile of income, wage losses can be significant. For men, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases can reduce wages between 0.90% and 14.80%; for women, between 1.20% and 18%. The decomposition showed that men and women value different attributes for the computation of their wages and that preventive health care helps explain the lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases in the case of women. Men, in turn, have greater demand for medical services at more advanced ages, which is corroborated by the negative age estimate. The second essay analyzes the relationship between (i) business cycle and use of personal contacts to obtain job, and (ii) use of personal contacts to obtain job and wages. To do so, we used the microdata of the Monthly Employment Survey between 2002 and 2015. Time-varying parameter estimates indicate that the relationship between business cycle and use of personal contacts became less countercyclical over time. In general, they show that there is more evidence of a slow changing relationship between personal contacts and the business cycle over time rather than a sudden and discrete one Using quantile regressions, we observed that, controlling for similar observable characteristics, and including unobserved heterogeneity, wage differences between workers using personal contacts versus workers using others channels disappear. The evidences seems to indicate that workers resort to personal contacts because of valuation of non-pecuniary job characteristics. Finally, the third essay analyzes the wage dynamics of women entrepreneurs in Brazil for the 1992-2015 period. To do so, we use the microdata from the National Household Sample Survey. The method consists of a regression analysis that included the effects age, period and cohort. The results suggest that changes in the age play an important role in the evolution of the income of the self-employed and informal employers. The cohort effect allowed an increase in income to the self-employed, through the opening and creation of new opportunities for this segment. However, it did not show any correlation with employers’ monetary gains, suggesting the existence of “barriers” to this group. The short-term effects associated with economic fluctuations tend to be countercyclical, generally up to 2005, and later pro-cyclical.

Esta tese é composta por três ensaios sobre o mercado de trabalho brasileiro, cada um correspondendo a um capítulo. O primeiro ensaio identifica se há uma relação entre doenças cardiovasculares e salários no Brasil com base nos dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde 2013. Utilizaram-se os métodos de regressão quantílica incondicional e de decomposição para quantis por meio de funções de influência. Os resultados das regressões indicaram que, para os trabalhadores nos primeiros decis de renda as perdas salariais podem ser significativas. Para os homens, a incidência de doenças cardiovasculares pode reduzir os salários entre 0,90% e 14,80%; para as mulheres, entre 1,20% e 18%. A decomposição mostrou que homens e mulheres valorizam atributos distintos para o cômputo de seus salários e que os cuidados preventivos de saúde ajudam a explicar a menor incidência de doenças cardiovasculares no caso das mulheres. Os homens, por seu turno, apresentam maior demanda por serviços médicos em idades mais avançadas, o que é corroborado pela estimativa negativa da idade sobre o efeito atribuível às características próprias. O segundo ensaio analisa a relação entre (i) o ciclo econômico e o uso de contatos pessoais para obter emprego por meio de um modelo com parâmetros variantes no tempo; e (ii) a relação entre o uso de contatos pessoais para obter emprego e os salários utilizando-se regressão quantílica. Para tanto, foram empregados os microdados da Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego entre 2002 e 2015. As estimativas indicam que o uso de contatos pessoais tornou-se menos anticíclico ao longo do tempo Em geral, eles mostram que há mais evidências de uma relação de mudança lenta entre contatos pessoais e o ciclo econômico ao longo do tempo, em vez de uma quebra repentina e discreta. Observa-se que as diferenças salariais entre trabalhadores que usam contatos pessoais versus trabalhadores que usam outros canais desaparecem. As evidências apontam que os trabalhadores recorrem a contatos pessoais devido à avaliação de características de trabalho não pecuniárias. Por fim, o terceiro ensaio faz uma análise dos retornos do empreendedorismo feminino no Brasil para o período 1992-2015. Para tanto, faz uso dos microdados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios e uma análise de regressão que incluiu os efeitos idade, período e coorte. Os resultados implicam que as mudanças que são próprias do perfil etário assumem um papel de destaque na evolução dos rendimentos das mulheres que atuam por conta própria e para as empregadoras informais (aquelas com no máximo cinco empregados). O efeito coorte permitiu um acréscimo de renda às autônomas, por meio da abertura e criação de novas oportunidades a esse segmento de mulheres. Contudo, não apresentou nenhuma correlação com os ganhos monetários das empregadoras, sugerindo a existência de “barreiras” para esse grupo. Os efeitos de curto prazo associados às flutuações econômicas tendem a ser contracíclicos, de forma geral, até 2005 e posteriormente são pró-cíclcos. / This thesis is composed of three essays on the Brazilian labor market, each one corresponding to a chapter. The first essay identifies whether there is a relationship between cardiovascular diseases and wages in Brazil based on data from the National Health Survey 2013. The unconditional quantile regression and the quantile-regression based decomposition methods were used, which are based on influence functions. The results of the regressions indicated that, for workers in the first decile of income, wage losses can be significant. For men, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases can reduce wages between 0.90% and 14.80%; for women, between 1.20% and 18%. The decomposition showed that men and women value different attributes for the computation of their wages and that preventive health care helps explain the lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases in the case of women. Men, in turn, have greater demand for medical services at more advanced ages, which is corroborated by the negative age estimate. The second essay analyzes the relationship between (i) business cycle and use of personal contacts to obtain job, and (ii) use of personal contacts to obtain job and wages. To do so, we used the microdata of the Monthly Employment Survey between 2002 and 2015. Time-varying parameter estimates indicate that the relationship between business cycle and use of personal contacts became less countercyclical over time. In general, they show that there is more evidence of a slow changing relationship between personal contacts and the business cycle over time rather than a sudden and discrete one Using quantile regressions, we observed that, controlling for similar observable characteristics, and including unobserved heterogeneity, wage differences between workers using personal contacts versus workers using others channels disappear. The evidences seems to indicate that workers resort to personal contacts because of valuation of non-pecuniary job characteristics. Finally, the third essay analyzes the wage dynamics of women entrepreneurs in Brazil for the 1992-2015 period. To do so, we use the microdata from the National Household Sample Survey. The method consists of a regression analysis that included the effects age, period and cohort. The results suggest that changes in the age play an important role in the evolution of the income of the self-employed and informal employers. The cohort effect allowed an increase in income to the self-employed, through the opening and creation of new opportunities for this segment. However, it did not show any correlation with employers’ monetary gains, suggesting the existence of “barriers” to this group. The short-term effects associated with economic fluctuations tend to be countercyclical, generally up to 2005, and later pro-cyclical.

L’intérêt accordé à l’entrepreneuriat féminin reflète l’ampleur du phénomène sans cesse croissant partout dans le monde. En effet, le potentiel entrepreneurial des femmes est manifeste et ce travail doctoral s’intéresse à ce potentiel dans le contexte camerounais. La littérature en entrepreneuriat féminin propose des travaux essentiellement axés sur l’émergence des entreprises alors que les écrits se focalisant sur le développement sont rares. Pourtant, malgré les difficultés d’accès aux ressources, des femmes entrepreneurs camerounaises ont réussi. Il semble alors à la fois utile et nécessaire de faire « voir » ces cas, avec la prudence qu’apporte le protocole scientifique de la méthode des cas. Notre travail vise donc à comprendre comment et pourquoi les femmes entrepreneurs camerounaises passent d’un « petit business » à un business plus ambitieux. A ce propos, des études approfondies et comparatives de trois entreprises sélectionnées par homogénéisation dans le secteur des services ont été menées. Le guide méthodologique ainsi fourni est étayé par le concept de Business Model pour mettre au jour les cas à analyser et par la théorie des conventions pour les comprendre. / The focus on female entrepreneurship reflects the growing magnitude of this phenomenon worldwide. Indeed, the entrepreneurial potential of women is obvious and this doctorate thesis focuses on this potential in the Cameroonian context. The literature on female entrepreneurship offers works mainly focused on the emergence of firms while writings dealing with development are rare. Yet, despite difficulties linked to access to resources, women entrepreneurs in Cameroon have succeeded. It has appeared both useful and necessary to “exhibit” these cases with the caution ensured by the scientific protocol of the “case study” method. So, our work aims at understanding how and why Cameroonian women entrepreneurs succeed in moving from a “small business” to a more ambitious business. In this regard, in-depth and comparative studies of three enterprises selected by homogenization in the service sector were conducted. The methodological framework thus chosen is supported by the concept of Business Model for the presentation of cases under analysis and by the convention theory for their understanding.

<p>Women who operate small-scale farms and sell to small markets in Indiana may encounter certain obstacles and constraints due to self-employment in the traditionally male-dominated field of agriculture. Researchers have recognized the role of sustainable agriculture ideology in attracting women to these niche agricultural markets. Despite increasing opportunities for women in sustainable agriculture, research suggests that traditional gender roles are often maintained, manifesting itself through several obstacles (Pilgeram & Amos, 2015). Female agricultural entrepreneurs encounter obstacles including work-family balance, geographic barriers, access to physical resources, access to financial resources, access to places of information. Previous research indicates that female entrepreneurs have less access to human, social, and financial capital to support their business ventures (Powell & Eddleston, 2013). However, this study explored the feminine perspective and management styles which may serve as beneficial resources. </p> <p>The purpose of this study was to explore and describe existing obstacles encountered by female entrepreneurs in niche agricultural markets and their methods of building resilience in their business. Quantitative data was collected through an online survey of 62 agricultural entrepreneurs across the state of Indiana. Participants were asked questions pertaining to their business structure, resources, constraints, processes, achievements, and demographics. Several responses to open-ended questions were also collected and analyzed through open, axial coding. Study results include the diversity of the population, value of human capital resources, prioritization of quality products, significance of internal constraints, discrepancies in division of labor and women’s obstacles to access to social networks. A greater understanding of the obstacles encountered by women agricultural entrepreneurs can also provide valuable insight to Land-Grant University Extension, policymakers, and stakeholders in the Indiana agriculture industry. </p>

Access to growth capital, a critical factor for growing a successful, sustainable business, is a challenge for women-owned small businesses. Following the resource based theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore what capital growth strategies 6 small women-owned business leaders in the defense industry in Dayton, Ohio used to ensure business sustainability beyond the initial start-up period of 1 year. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and company documents. Methodological triangulation, member checking, reflexivity, and an audit trail were used to strengthen credibility and trustworthiness. Based on thematic analysis of the data, emergent themes included growth strategies, risk, and cultivate relationships. Participants pursued low-cost slow-growth strategies to remain viable in a highly competitive marketplace; mitigated risk by aligning business decisions with their strategic plans and diversifying their business and customer base; and cultivated relationships with government agencies, customers, partners, and employees to obtain capital to sustain and grow their businesses. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide women-owned small business leaders with strategies to obtain growth capital necessary for sustainability, contributing to economic growth of businesses, employees, employees' families, and communities.

The principal aim of this thesis is to discover and analyse the motives that make immigrant women start their own businesses in Sweden and to investigate whether this is a way to achieve integration in working life. The empirical material consists of two types of interviews. One type consisted of interviews with five experts on labour market issues, and the other of interviews with 16 female entrepreneurs of Iranian, Chilean and Turkish origin having their own business in the Greater Stockholm region. Results from the first set of interviews indicate that female immigrants who independently start their enterprise rely mainly on their own resources of power and abilities. They are either women with class resources such as higher educations, previous work experience, language abilities and economic savings, or young women with certificates from high schools or universities. The social environment where they grew up, the gender structure and gender roles in the family before and after immigration and time of residence in Sweden also influence the extent to which women immigrants can act independently. According to the experience of the experts, the motives for starting their business are either different structural reasons, e.g. unemployment, lack of suitable or well-paying jobs, lay-offs etc, or personal reasons such as having a meaningful occupation, to support the family, to earn money of their own, to be independent from men and strive for a better standard of living etc. Results from the second set of interviews indicate that the most important resource these women have used when establishing their businesses is class resources such as education and adequate training, different types of work experiences, human capital and in addition to this economic savings. For many of the women in this sample different structural reasons, like unemployment, lack of good job opportunities, discrimination on work places, merge with personal reasons such as strivings to achieve independence, being one’s own boss, to realize one’s plans and ambitions, when starting their business. Independent entrepreneurship is a good way for immigrant women to be integrated in working life especially if they start within certain branches. These are branches in which the women have appropriate university education or vocational training, previous work experience or which correspond to their personal interests. In addition immigrant women become more integrated if an education received abroad is treated as equivalent to the parallel Swedish education or degree. A further factor promoting integration is if they can fully exploit their capacities when developing their own businesses. These conditions help them to feel much more satisfaction in working life as women identify themselves with their actual profession and feel that they have found the “right place” for themselves in the society.

Le rôle de l’entrepreneuriat en tant que levier pour les économies a été beaucoup mis en évidence et depuis longtemps (cf. Schumpeter). Dans ce sens, selon l’OCDE (2016) « L’entrepreneuriat est une source importante de création d’emplois et d’innovation ». De plus, « l’entrepreneuriat est considéré comme un moteur essentiel de la reprise économique et de la croissance de l’emploi » (OCDE, 2012Toutefois, l’aspect « économique » de l’entrepreneuriat semble moins évident pour les cas des femmes entrepreneures. En effet, en 2013, les femmes qui travaillaient à leur compte gagnaient entre 13 % et 60 % de moins que les hommes dans la zone OCDE (OCDE, 2016). Ce constat concernant l’écart en matière de performance économique et de caractéristiques des entreprises créées et gérées par des entrepreneures femmes rejoint les résultats de recherches académiques qui ont noté que celles-ci créent des entreprises de très petites tailles et à faible croissance.Dans le cadre de cette thèse nous optons pour une recherche focalisée exclusivement sur les femmes. Nous mettons ainsi l’accent sur la notion de la performance des entreprises telle qu'elle est vue et définie par ces femmes entrepreneures.L’objectif de ce travail de recherche est de mettre en évidence une définition de la performance donnée par les femmes entrepreneures. Répondre à cette problématique permettrait de contribuer à la littérature en apportant de nouvelles connaissances sur la performance et sur les femmes entrepreneures. En effet, le phénomène dit de « sous-performance » est remis en question, et la performance des entreprises est vue sous un autre angle. En suite, sur un plan plus pratique, comprendre certains phénomènes et comportements permet de mettre en place les dispositifs nécessaires pour mieux les orienter et surtout les encourager. / The role of entrepreneurship has been highlighted as leverage for many economies (see Schumpeter). In this sense, according to the OECD (2016) "Entrepreneurship is an important source of job creation and innovation". In addition, "entrepreneurship is seen as a key driver of economic recovery and employment growth" (OECD, 2012)However, the "economic" aspect of entrepreneurship seems to be less obvious for the case of women entrepreneurs. In 2013, self-employed women earned between 13% and 60% less than men in the OECD area (OECD, 2016). This finding concerning the gap in economic performance and the characteristics of firms created and managed by women entrepreners is consistent with academic research results. Reserchers concluded that women entrepreneurs create smaller and with lower-growth rate firms.In this thesis we opt for a research focused exclusively on women. Thus we emphasize the notion of corporate performance as seen and defined by those women entrepreneurs.The purpose of this research is to highlight a definition of performance given by women entrepreneurs. We aim to contribute to the literature by bringing new knowledge on performance and on women entrepreneurs. Indeed, the phenomenon called "underperformance" is questioned, and the performance of small firms is seen from another angle. Then, on a practical level, politics need to understand certain phenomena and behaviors. That would help them to put in place the necessary devices to better guide women enrepreneurs and especially to encourage them.