The role of gender identity in explaining sex differences in business owners' career satisfier preferences

This study examines how gender identity explains what male and female business owners look for from their careers. Results suggest that gender identity, represented by the dimensions of masculinity and femininity, serves as a cognitive mechanism that contributes to sex differences in business owners' career satisfier preferences. Masculinity mediates the relationship between sex and preferences for status-based satisfiers. Femininity mediates the relationships between sex and preferences for employee relationship satisfiers and contribution to society satisfiers. These results support the view that entrepreneurship is a gendered process and that incorporation of a feminine perspective into entrepreneurial theories and research is needed.