Female senior entrepreneurship: Theory and practice of an emerging phenomenon
Age is increasingly receiving attention as a factor impacting entrepreneurial activity (Barković Bojanić et al., 2024; Dvouletý et al., 2024; OECD/European Commission, 2023; Brieger et al., 2021; Gielnik et al., 2012). Notably the literature on senior entrepreneurship, also dubbed “old-age”, “grey”, or “silver entrepreneurship” (Mayer & Leick, 2019; Stirzaker et al., 2019; Brouwer & Delfmann, 2019; Cannon, 2008), has grown substantially (cf., Backman & Karlsson, 2019; Kautonen & Minniti, 2014; Lévesque & Minniti, 2011, 2006). Surprisingly, gender has not been very influential in this literature focused on “senior entrepreneurship”, although there exists a continuously high interest of scholars in female entrepreneurship (for instance, Ughetto et al., 2020; Brush et al., 2019; Guzman & Kacperczyk, 2019). The origins of female entrepreneurship date back to the 1980s when persistent differences in entrepreneurial activities by females compared to males were identified (cf., Poggesi et al., 2016; Koellinger et al., 2013). Despite its abundance, the current research on female entrepreneurship fails to provide empirical evidence notably on the motivations of elderly females in their later active working-life or post-retirement phase of life in pursuing entrepreneurial activities, including insights into the root causes of their entrepreneurship, their performance, well-being and overall life satisfaction, and how culture and institutional factors are at play for this group of female entrepreneurs. Interestingly, policy reports highlight a substantial gender gap regarding senior entrepreneurs, for example, in the EU countries (OECD/EU Commission, 2023); this, again, underlines not only the need for policy action for this group of entrepreneurs, but also calls for researching the distinct phenomenon of “female senior entrepreneurship”. Indeed, scholars have recently begun exploring intersections of age and gender related to entrepreneurship (e.g., Audretsch et al., 2024). However, apart from this scarce literature, “female senior entrepreneurship” represents a novel and, hence, under-researched theme in the entrepreneurship literature. “Female senior entrepreneurship” is defined in this special issue as nascent or early-stage entrepreneurial activities by females in their later active working-life or post-retirement phase of life. Entrepreneurship by senior females may comprise self-employment, the establishment and registration of a new company, other relevant start-up efforts, engagement in running and managing a family business (including take-overs), or their entrepreneurial intentions and motivations. The phenomenon is also relevant to study for practitioners, as the question of how under-represented groups in society, such as elderly females, may empower themselves through self-employment and entrepreneurial activities and contribute to sustainable economic development is increasingly gaining in importance – given an accelerating demographic ageing on a global scale.
Opening date for manuscript submissions: 1 August 2026
Closing date for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2027
Guest Editors: Birgit Leick, Ondřej Dvouletý, Linda Weidenstedt, David Urbano
Further information is available here.