Journal Article

How do female entrepreneurs perform? Evidence from three developing regions

Terrell, Katherine, Bardasi, Elena, Sabarwal, Shwetlena

2011

Overview

Using the World Bank Enterprise Survey data, we analyze performance gaps between male-and female-owned companies in three regions—Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA), Latin America (LA), and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Among our findings are significant gender gaps between male-and femaleowned companies in terms of firm size, but much smaller gaps in terms of firm efficiency and growth (except in LA). Part of the reason women run smaller firms is that they tend to concentrate in sectors in which firms are smaller and less efficient (in ECA and SSA). By contrast, we find no evidence of gender discrimination in access to formal finance in any of the three regions, although in ECA women are less likely than men to seek formal finance. Finally, while female entrepreneurs receive smaller loans than their male counterparts, the returns from each dollar they receive is no lower in terms of overall sales revenue.

• Publisher: Springer,Springer US,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Bank loans / Banking / Business and Management / Central Asia / Companies / Comparative analysis / Credit / Eastern Europe / Economic efficiency / Economic performance / Economic theory / Entrepreneurs / Entrepreneurship / Females / Finance / Financing methods / Gender / Gender differences / Gender performativity / Industrial concentration / Industrial Organization / Industrial sectors / Industrialized nations / Latin America / Loans / Males / Management / Men / Microeconomics / Preferences / Regional analysis / Regions / Sales / Sales growth / Secured loans / Self employment / Sex discrimination / Sexism / Size of enterprise / Small business / Startups / Studies / Sub-Saharan Africa / Value added / Women owned businesses / Women's participation