A critical exploration of Gender and Innovation in the Irish Thoroughbred Industry: Breaking barriers and creating economic opportunity
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Leonora Lynch (Dundalk Institute of Technology)
ABSTRACT
Importance and key contribution
This paper focuses on the potential for women to participate as innovative leaders in the thoroughbred industry in Ireland. This is an important research area as this industry contributes hugely to Ireland’s national economy and heritage. The horse racing sector impacts significantly on the Irish economy through a number of channels, as noted by Indecon (2011, pg. 13): In 2011, the thoroughbred industry directly employed more than 4,000 people, and earlier estimates suggest that if betting, racecourse and other related sectors were included, the industry supports over 20,000 employees. Furthermore, the thoroughbred industry has an enviable international reputation fostering exports globally to the value of over €150m annually (Indecon, 2012; pg. 13), and had a direct economic contribution of approximately 1.1 billion Euros in 2012 (Dukes, 2008; pg. 24)
Theoretical Base
Research on innovation has grown rapidly since the 1900s. In current literature and reports, innovation is central to both economic and political debates (European Commission, 2008; Science and Learning Expert Group, 2010), with research on product innovation (i.e. goods) seen as a vehicle for enhancing firm profit and long-term growth (Reynolds, 2000; Yuan, Zhongfeng and Yi, 2010). Innovation is inextricably linked to entrepreneurship, as the latter involves actively looking for and taking advantage of the former to create new ventures or grow existing ones (Hofstrand, 2010).
Whereas gender has received increased attention in the management (Calas and Smircich, 1991; Courpasson, 2000), organizational (Acker, 1990; Kvande, 2007) and entrepreneurship research literatures (Berg, 1997; Ahl, 2006), little by way of concerted academic attention has been paid to exploring gender in the context of innovation. This is especially the case with regard to predominantly masculinised industries such as the Irish thoroughbred industry. A study of this nature will allow us to view innovation from a perspective other than that in which it is usually seen, and to place it in the context of a gendered society (Pettersson, 2007).
Research Questions
For the purposes of this paper, the focus will be on critically reviewing the literature on gender and innovation in the context of the Irish thoroughbred industry. The key research questions are:
• What are the main themes emerging from extant gender and innovation scholarship and how do these enhance our understanding of the Irish thoroughbred industry?
• What are the main barriers facing women in the Irish thoroughbred industry?
• How are women using innovation to contribute to the Irish thoroughbred industry?
Methodology
A systematic literature review (SLR) approach is adopted. Using the following search terms “gender AND inequality” “gender AND innovation” and “equine innovation AND Ireland” the gender and innovation academic literatures were searched across the Academic Source Complete and Emerald databases over a period of 50 years (from 1966 to 2016).
Findings
The paper contributes to extant scholarship by identifying emerging trends in the literature and illustrating how these can be used to enhance understanding of gender and innovation in the Irish thoroughbred industry.
Implications
The paper highlights some examples of female-led innovation in the Irish thoroughbred industry and, thus, has implications for where/how government should target future innovation support.
Key Words: Gender equality, innovation, entrepreneurship, the thoroughbred industry, equine innovation
References
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