Female entrepreneurship and in particular, the contribution of their ventures to aggregate economic activity has gained increasing attention over recent years in terms of theory, practice and policy. This concise book introduces students to entrepreneurship from a gender perspective. In exploring the socio-economic context for female entrepreneurship in regional, national and international economies, the author encourages students to critically evaluate theoretical perspectives on entrepreneurship and their validity with regards to the study of entrepreneurship. By using a series of case studies on successful women entrepreneurs, this text illustrates the analytical tension present between gender and entrepreneurial behaviour. This book will be important supplementary reading on entrepreneurship, small business management and women's / gender studies courses - it will prove particularly useful to women moving toward starting their own business as well as postgraduate students researching the topic for the first time.