Högskolan i Skövde

This study explores the use of resilience strategies by female entrepreneurs as a coping mechanism in Sweden’s game industry to navigate and challenge gendered structural and cultural barriers, and how these barriers are constructed and understood within the broader institutional and cultural narratives of the Swedish entrepreneurial ecosystem. Although Sweden is globally recognised for its commitment to gender equality, women remain significantly underrepresented in the game entrepreneurship ecosystem, particularly in founder and leadership roles. Drawing on feminist entrepreneurship theory, social capital theory, and resilience theory, the study investigates how legitimacy, access, and recognition are negotiated in a sector shaped by masculine norms and homosocial reproduction.

The research adopts a qualitative, interpretivist design, combining eight semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs (four women and four men) and document and archival

analysis of government reports, industry investment trends, and diversity audits. The data is analysed through reflexive thematic analysis, guided by a constructivist epistemology and a commitment to reflexivity and positionality.

Findings reveal that resilience among female game entrepreneurs is not simply a personal trait but a strategic, relational practice shaped by exclusion from investor networks, and the need to continually perform legitimacy. Women entrepreneurs deploy resilience through emotional adaptation, identity regulation, peer-based support networks, and the reframing of entrepreneurial success on their own terms. In contrast, male entrepreneurs enjoy default legitimacy and are less burdened by emotional and symbolic labour.

The study contributes to critical entrepreneurship literature by showing that resilience, in gendered ecosystems, must be understood not only as survival but also as a form of subtle

resistance to dominant norms. It offers insights for policy-makers, incubators, and investors aiming to build more inclusive and equitable innovation environments.