Breaking the Barriers

Europe is facing a challenge when it comes to innovation and entrepreneurship. The most recent report from The Global Entrepreneurship monitor, published in November 2023, points to an overall trend in the landscape of entrepreneurship: At the global level, the numbers and activities of women entrepreneurs are on the rise. Women make up the majority of innovation entrepreneurs in some African, Asian, and south American countries, but only in one European country – Romania. At the same time, it is well-known that Europe’s wealth depends on research and innovation as a driver of economic progress, prosperity, and the potential to face many of the major societal challenges. Therefore it is a problem that R and I lacks diversity, ignoring insights, that diversity and the inclusion of various genders, and other categories, enriches organizations’ structures, processes and creative problem-solving. When innovation teams include individuals of different genders, they are more likely to consider a broader range of ideas and solutions, leading to more creative and effective outcomes of products and services. This book takes a fresh look at such facts and figures and shed lights on new and hidden components. Entrepreneurship and innovation is framed in discourses and practices of gender, culture and intersectional approaches.