Gender, entrepreneurship and development: which policies matter?

Data for 40 developing countries in the period 2005 to 2010 are used to study the gendered impact of country‐level conditioning (financial environment, government quality and support, education quality and entrepreneurship know‐how, innovation environment and support, business infrastructure, entrepreneurial culture and society and gender roles) on the choice made by early‐stage entrepreneurs regarding the routine level of the sector of activity in which they are starting their business, with lower routine levels linked to higher economic growth. The business infrastructure of a country is a core factor for facilitating entry into medium‐low routine sectors, followed by education quality and entrepreneurship know‐how. Women entrepreneurs benefit to a larger extent from innovation environment and support, but gender roles may deter their entry into medium‐low routine sectors.