Cognitive Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Intention: Gendered Evidence from GEM India

Abstract

Entrepreneurial intention has emerged as a significant predictor of entrepreneurial behaviour, particularly in developing economies where entrepreneurship is increasingly recognized as a mechanism for employment generation, innovation, and economic transformation. Drawing upon the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Social Cognitive Theory, this study examines the influence of selfefficacy and fear of failure on entrepreneurial intention across gender in India. The study utilizes secondary data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Adult Population Survey 2021, based on a nationally representative sample of 4,165 individuals aged between 18 and 64 years.Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted separately for male and female respondents to examine the influence of cognitive antecedents on entrepreneurial intention. The findings reveal that entrepreneurial self-efficacy significantly and positively predicts entrepreneurial intention among both genders. Women possessing entrepreneurial self-efficacy were found to be 4.381 times more likely to exhibit entrepreneurial intention, whereas the odds for men increased by 3.504 times. Contrary to conventional expectations, fear of failure also demonstrated a positive and statistically significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention among both male and female respondents. These findings suggest that fear of failure may operate not merely as a psychological barrier but also as a motivational force within the Indian entrepreneurial context.The study contributes to entrepreneurship literature by offering gender-disaggregated evidence from a developing economy and by reinterpreting the role of fear of failure in entrepreneurial cognition. The findings carry implications for entrepreneurship education, public policy, and gender-sensitive entrepreneurial support systems aimed at strengthening entrepreneurial confidence and resilience.