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Exploring the mechanisms of gender effects in user innovation

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  • Mendonça, Joana
  • Reis, Anabela

Abstract

Entrepreneurship research has shown significant differences between genders on what concerns technology commercialization. However, most evidence on gender differences focuses on producer centred processes, which is not applicable to user innovation. Furthermore, there is no rigorous evidence explaining these differences in user innovation between male and female individuals. This paper contributes to shed some light on why these differences exist for user innovation, and proposes a framework to explain the role of gender in user innovation, considering both a direct and an indirect effect. We look at the users’ probability to innovate by gender, investigating direct and indirect effects through fields of education and personality traits, such as risk taking, innovativeness and aspirations. Using data from a unique survey on user innovation, we find that although men innovate more, female show no clear differences on innovation behaviour and characteristics of innovations. We also find that gender has a direct effect on the probability of users to innovate and an indirect effect on user innovation through education fields, but that the direct effect of gender on innovation is stronger. Our results providence supported for our proposed framework.

Suggested Citation

  • Mendonça, Joana & Reis, Anabela, 2020. "Exploring the mechanisms of gender effects in user innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:155:y:2020:i:c:s0040162518315452
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2020.119988
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