Hurdles and opportunities for women career in startups

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to identify and discuss the obstacles and opportunities for the women who work in leadership positions in startups. Ten women who work at eight startups in Fortaleza-CE were interviewed. The results showed that flexibility on work schedule and on job description, horizontal structure, incentives to hire women, and facility to occupy leadership positions are factors favorable to women career in startups. While negotiating with banks and customers and the difficulty of being heard at work meetings can be considered barriers to the development of women's careers. So, even if startups are less gendered organizations than the traditional ones, women are not immune to discrimination in this context.