Guest editorial: Exploring entrepreneurship policy in a global context: a gender perspective

Evidence suggests that entrepreneurship policy is context specific and inherently gender biased, meaning that women entrepreneurs are often disadvantaged by policies that do not account for the unique challenges they face. These aspects are still relatively under-researched in the entrepreneurship literature. To address this gap, this special issue aimed to gather a collection of high calibre research-based, international papers that explored entrepreneurship policy from a gender perspective and, in so doing, offer valuable insights into the gendered nature of entrepreneurship policy. Drawing on a range of different contexts, data sets, sample types and methodological approaches, the 13 papers selected to be part of this special issue contribute to the current body of knowledge across four key areas: context, policy influence and efficacy, policy-finance nexus and scholars’ communication and engagement with policy makers. Enhancing our understanding in these areas could help create a more equitable policy landscape globally.