Cognitive Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Intention:  Gendered Evidence from GEM India

Navendu Nidhan; Basant Kumar Singh; Ritika Maurya; Dilip Kumar

doi:10.21844/mijia.22.1.6

Navendu Nidhan Assistant Professor, Faculty of Commerce, Gopal Narayan Singh University, Sasaram, Bihar, India
Basant Kumar Singh Professor, Faculty of Commerce, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
Ritika Maurya Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce and Business Administration, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj
Dilip Kumar Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management Studies, Gopal Narayan Singh University, Sasaram, Bihar

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21844/mijia.22.1.6

Keywords: Entrepreneurial intention, Gender, Self-efficacy, Fear of failure, India, GEM, Cognitive barriers

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 self
efficacy 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.