Exploring intersectionality issues in entrepreneurial finance: Policy responses and future research directions

Entrepreneurial finance scholars (and policy makers) need to adopt an intersectional approach to their analysis (and policymaking) and pay more attention to the interplay between the owner-manager characteristics of ethnicity/race, gender, and social class. As most literature on entrepreneurial finance treats ethnicity/race, gender, and class separately, an intersectional approach to analysis is complex, whether social (race, gender, and social class) or situational characteristics (entrepreneur vs. migrant/social or health-care worker). Women, ethnic minorities, and working-class people are disadvantaged when seeking finance. We integrate the literature and propose intersectionality as a framework for policy makers, because the interplay between these characteristics can be addressed to develop innovative methods of finance.