The integrative approach in the study of resilience in female entrepreneurship

Purpose This paper aims to understand resilience in entrepreneurial behavior and the major adversities faced by women entrepreneurs and identify theoretical and empirical bases that support the use of the integrative approach as appropriate to studies of resilience in women entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach In this exploratory-theoretical study, the authors adopted a narrative review of the literature on Female Entrepreneurship, Business and Resilience. The databases researched were: Web of Science, Social Citation Index and Scopus, of which 52 were submitted to analysis through techniques of comparison and contrast between theory, classical studies and applied research. Findings The study illuminates the concept of resilience aligned with entrepreneurship and the major adversities of female entrepreneurship. It also indicates the competence of the integrative approach in investigating and analyzing resilience as a complex, functional and emotional phenomenon between women entrepreneurs and their business environment. Research limitations/implications This study indicates that the integrative approach can offer an explanatory device about the relationships between affectivity and cognition in the resilient behavior of women when encountering difficulties in the entrepreneurial process. It also indicates paths for future research that can empirically prove the degree of these constructs in the resilient behavior of women entrepreneurs, having the difficulties related to the gender stereotype as a point of interest. Practical implications The contribution to the managerial field is to alert women entrepreneurs about the need to understand the role of affectivity and cognition in facing adversity to strengthen their resilient behavior. Social implications The contribution to the managerial field is to alert women entrepreneurs about the need to understand the role of affectivity and cognition in facing adversity to strengthen their resilient behavior. Originality/value This study provides original evidence that cognitive and affective aspects influence women’s entrepreneurial behavior with the same degree of importance. Therefore, they must be investigated jointly. This discovery brings relevance to theoretical and empirical studies on this topic.