Gender and Entrepreneurial Traits using the Entrepreneurial Mindset Profile (EMP) Assessment

This thesis explores the relationship between gender and entrepreneurship at the undergraduate level at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. The study aims to identify the impact of gender on entrepreneurial skills and the development of these skills over the course of the semester. The research is quantitative and based on the Entrepreneurial Mindset Profile (EMP) Assessment; undergraduate students in Entrepreneurship 350 took the assessment at the beginning and end of the Fall 2022 semester. The study seeks to uncover gender-based differences in entrepreneurial traits and skills and the effects of entrepreneurship education on these traits and skills. The findings suggest that for some traits or skills, gender does play a significant role— at both the beginning of the semester, and in terms of changes to those factors between the beginning and end of the semester. The study concludes with recommendations for the University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s undergraduate course instructors concerning how they might better address gender differences.