MIOIR Seminar Series - Gender and the Distribution of Power in Entrepreneurial Teams: Evidence from Denmark
| Dates: | 10 November 2025 |
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| Times: | 15:30 - 16:30 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Alliance Manchester Business School |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, External researchers, Alumni, Current University students |
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Gender and the Distribution of Power in Entrepreneurial Teams: Evidence from Denmark
(Joint work with Ali Mohammadi, Copenhagen Business School)
Isabelle Solal discusses how gender dynamics shape power distribution within entrepreneurial founding teams, offering new evidence on internal barriers to women’s success in startups.
Abstract:
While the gender funding gap has been extensively documented in prior research, what have received far less attention are the internal barriers to success faced by women entrepreneurs. With most new ventures today being created by teams of entrepreneurs, the dynamics at play within those founding teams can affect the extent to which women exercise power and contribute to their startups. Using five years of data on close to 7,000 non-family firms in Denmark, we show that women founders are far less likely to hold positions of power within the firm compared to their male cofounders, after controlling for the percentage of equity held. We further show that this cannot be explained by differences in human capital, effort, or industry-specific effects. We find that the effect is stronger if female cofounders are married or have children, but that they disappear if the founding team is led by another woman. We discuss potential implications for women’s entrepreneurship as well as the efficient allocation of roles in young firms.
Speaker Bio:
Isabelle Solal is Assistant Professor of Management at ESSEC Business School. Her research focuses on the mechanisms that contribute to gender inequality in labor and financial markets, with a particular focus on the contexts of entrepreneurship and top management teams. She holds an MBA and PhD in Organisational Behaviour from INSEAD, as well as degrees in French, English, and European law.
Seminar Details:
Refreshments will be available for networking from 3:15 pm, before the seminar in the 9th floor common room.
We encourage AMBS and UoM staff and students to join us in person. An online option will be available for external guests (see below Teams link). Please feel free to share this invitation with your networks.
Join online via Microsoft Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OGUzN2E1MTAtYWVkZC00Zjg2LWFlODQtODk1NzY4MTlkYTVh%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22c152cb07-614e-4abb-818a-f035cfa91a77%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%224a04acaa-efd0-4184-9c04-28eae7f6196b%22%7d
Meeting ID: 371 647 772 204
Passcode: 4sV2jB7P
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
9.041 AMBS (Hybrid)
Aliiance Manchester Business School
Booth Street West
Manchester
