Gender and entrepreneurship: past achievements and future possibilities

Purpose The purpose of this short commentary reflects upon how feminist theory might be used to advance the contemporary gendered critique of women's entrepreneurship. Drawing from gender theory, a diverse and complex critique has arisen to challenge the discriminatory discourse of entrepreneurship that fundamentally disadvantages women. To progress debate, the author suggests that greater attention should be afforded to feminist theories as explanatory analyses for such subordination and particularly to challenge contemporary postfeminist ideas which fuel a false promise of entrepreneurship for women. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual paper drawing upon extant literature to develop suggestions for future research . Findings Conceptual arguments challenging current approaches to analysing the relationship between women, gender and entrepreneurship. Social implications This article challenges contemporary researchers to reconsider current thinking regarding the value of entrepreneurial activity for women. Originality/value The commentary concludes by identifying how the next generation of scholars might take such ideas forward to build upon established foundations.