Gender and Entrepreneurship: the Case of the Beauty Industry in Bogotá

Abstract

Based on the critique made by feminism and masculinity studies about the concept andtheory of entrepreneurship as universal and gender free, this article offers some criticalelements to recent literature on entrepreneurship, genre, and economic developmentbased on research in the personal services of the beauty sector in Bogotá. The research isbased on interviews and a representative survey for the sector. Using the sexual divisionconcept of labor and emotional work, we explore how the creation of value in the beautyservice is carried out through practices that build gender identity and help promoteentrepreneurship.