Introduction – Female entrepreneurship has become an increasingly prominent topic
in business research. Although women exhibit lower entrepreneurial activity across
most countries, the underlying drivers remain poorly understood. The study examines
determinants of women’s entrepreneurial engagement. Methodology – Using Global Entrepreneurship
Monitor (GEM) data from Hungary between 2021 and 2024 (n=4,080 women), an exploratory
principal component analysis (PCA) was first conducted using 14 variables measuring
entrepreneurial attitudes and perceptions, followed by Python-based K-means clustering.
Results – Three distinct clusters emerged: (1) entrepreneurially engaged women with
high perceived readiness and strong opportunity recognition; (2) proactive aspirants
with high fear of failure despite positive attitudes; and (3) disengaged non-entrepreneurs
with low proactivity and higher risk aversion. The clusters show clear separation
in PCA space and significant differences across all attitudinal dimensions. Discussion
– Results reveal heterogeneity in women’s entrepreneurial attitudes. Entrepreneurship-related
perceptions may change over time due to external factors, suggesting that targeted
interventions can foster female entrepreneurial activity.
