Higher education is one of the last environments where we can meaningfully influence entrepreneurial aspirations before students enter the labour market. If we want more women to pursue entrepreneurship, we need pedagogical approaches that actively support confidence, belonging, entrepreneurial identity development and participation. Authentic Leadership Pedagogy is one such approach. 

Why Do So Many Talented Women Still Not See Themselves as Entrepreneurs? 

Over the past few years, we have noticed a recurring pattern across both undergraduate and postgraduate entrepreneurship and management programmes. While female students often perform just as strongly as their male peers academically, they are frequently less likely to volunteer entrepreneurial ideas, participate in pitching activities, or view entrepreneurship as a realistic career pathway for themselves. This is not a question of capability. Rather, it raises an important question for enterprise educators: why do so many talented women still struggle to see themselves as entrepreneurs? 

Part of the answer may lie in how entrepreneurship continues to be portrayed and experienced. Entrepreneurship is often associated with characteristics such as competitiveness, assertiveness, individualism and risk-taking, while successful entrepreneurs remain disproportionately represented by men. As a result, many women may struggle to identify with entrepreneurial stereotypes despite possessing the skills, creativity and potential required to succeed. 

This matters because entrepreneurship is not only a pathway to venture creation, but also a mechanism for innovation, economic development, social impact and value creation. If significant numbers of capable women do not see entrepreneurship as something that is relevant or attainable for them, we risk overlooking ideas, perspectives and entrepreneurial talent that could benefit our communities, economies and wider society. 

Confidence Before Competence? 

This is particularly important because the barriers many women face are not necessarily related to capability or academic performance, but to confidence, self-belief and whether they perceive entrepreneurship as a pathway in which they can belong and succeed. If we want more women to pursue entrepreneurship, we need pedagogical approaches that actively support belonging, participation and entrepreneurial identity development. Authentic Leadership Pedagogy offers one potential approach for creating these conditions. 

As educators, we often focus on building entrepreneurial knowledge and skills. However, women are unlikely to engage fully with entrepreneurial opportunities if entrepreneurship continues to be perceived as a pathway that is not open or relevant to them. Increasing participation therefore requires more than developing entrepreneurial capability. It also requires creating learning environments that challenge stereotypes and broaden understandings of who can become an entrepreneur. 

Creating Space for Future Entrepreneurs   

Authentic Leadership Pedagogy focuses on self-awareness, reflection, relational support, transparency and inclusion. Rather than focusing solely on entrepreneurial knowledge acquisition, it encourages students to explore their strengths, values and aspirations while developing confidence in their own capabilities. Like experiential and project-based learning approaches, it supports entrepreneurial capability through active participation, practical application and exposure to authentic entrepreneurial experiences. Importantly, however, it also creates opportunities for students to see themselves as potential entrepreneurs and to engage with entrepreneurship in ways that feel personally meaningful and authentic. 

In our own teaching, this includes reflective activities, collaborative teamwork, purpose-driven entrepreneurial challenges linked to social impact, sustainability and value creation, mentoring, open dialogue, exposure to diverse entrepreneurial role models, and signposting students to enterprise incubator opportunities within and beyond the University. We also seek to build trusting relationships with students and create inclusive learning environments where diverse perspectives are valued and students feel comfortable sharing ideas, challenging assumptions and learning from mistakes. Reflective discussions can further encourage students to consider how entrepreneurship is shaped by different cultural contexts and social expectations, helping to challenge assumptions about what successful entrepreneurship looks like.

While Authentic Leadership Pedagogy is not a complete solution, it offers one approach for creating more inclusive entrepreneurial learning environments and broadening who sees entrepreneurship as a viable pathway. 

If we are serious about increasing women’s participation in entrepreneurship, we need to move beyond simply teaching entrepreneurial skills. We must also create learning environments that help students develop confidence, belonging and entrepreneurial identities while challenging the stereotypes and assumptions that continue to shape who sees entrepreneurship as a viable pathway. 

Perhaps the challenge for enterprise educators is not how we teach entrepreneurship, but who feels that entrepreneurship is for them. Until more women can genuinely see themselves as entrepreneurs, we risk losing entrepreneurial talent long before it reaches the market.