Linking Entrepreneurial Identity Aspiration and Entrepreneurial Intention in a Gender-Based Analysis among Business Students

This study examines the relationship between entrepreneurial identity aspiration and entrepreneurial intention among business students, with attention to gender-related differences. The results show that entrepreneurial identity aspiration is strongly associated with entrepreneurial intention, alongside observable variation in entrepreneurial intention across gender groups. The results indicate that entrepreneurial identity aspiration exerts a very strong and statistically significant positive effect on entrepreneurial intention (r = .829, p < .01), underscoring its central role in intention formation among business students. Gender-based analysis reveals that male students report significantly higher levels of entrepreneurial intention than female students (t(443) = −6.939, p < .001); however, this difference appears primarily at the descriptive level. Further analysis indicates that gender does not directly predict entrepreneurial intention when identity-related factors are considered, with entrepreneurial identity aspiration emerging as the primary explanatory factor.