The rise of online entrepreneurship may have undermined gender inequalities or reinforced existing social inequalities in family businesses in China. This study uses survey data to examine whether and how online and offline family businesses illustrate different patterns of regional disparities and gender inequalities at the regional level and at the individual level. At the regional level, the development of offline family businesses is positively associated with a higher sex ratio and a lower proportion of people with higher education levels. The male advantage is less salient in the distribution of online businesses, which is positively related to local people’s greater access to the Internet and technology. At the individual level, the male advantage persists in one’s chances to be involved in online or offline businesses, but the gender gap is reduced or reversed in certain situations, especially for online ventures. Online family businesses allow people to be less constrained by marital status, health status, and family care burden, which continue to contribute to gender differences in offline businesses. Despite the persisting urban advantage and western disadvantage regarding individuals’ chances to be involved in family businesses, the gender difference is not significant among urban residents and illustrates a female advantage among western respondents, possibly because of the location-specific opportunities and obstacles that help women to embrace market risks or push women to try out family businesses. This research is forthcoming at China Review.
