Artificial Intelligence and Female Entrepreneurship in Confucian Contexts: A Conceptual Framework

ABSTRACT This paper explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and female entrepreneurship intersect in Confucian cultural contexts. We examine Confucianism's influence on business and gender norms, gender differences in entrepreneurial behavior, and the impact of AI on entrepreneurship. We reveal that traditional Confucian values historically constrain women's entrepreneurial roles, though modernization and policy support are reducing these constraints. Meanwhile, women entrepreneurs exhibit distinctive strengths that AI technologies can amplify. We propose an integrative conceptual framework in which AI's capabilities are coupled with women entrepreneurs’ strengths under Confucian norms. We identify five key mechanisms through which AI enhances women's entrepreneurial success in Confucian societies. These mechanisms illustrate how AI can mitigate resource gaps and bias, coordinate networks, inspire new entrants, open novel markets, and gradually shift cultural perceptions. We discuss policy implications for leveraging AI to promote inclusive entrepreneurship and outline future research directions at the nexus of culture, gender, and technology.