Gender Gaps at the Enterprise Level : Evidence from South Africa

Female-owned small to medium businesses in the Western Cape Province in South Africa are less productive, generate lower revenues and have less employees than male-owned enterprises. In this brief, we use the baseline survey for an impact evaluation of a business development services program to identify why these differences exist and explore paths towards policy interventions to overcome them. Author conclude that the concentration of businesses in low performing sectors, the lack of commitment to the business, the intertwining of household and business responsibilities, and access to finance can be important barriers to the growth of women-headed enterprises. Author suggests targeted alternative interventions to address these constraints and recommend comparing their effectiveness through rigorous evaluations. Author argue that the gender differences identified in the performance of Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in this Province of South Africa can be due to a combination of: 1) the concentration of women-entrepreneurs in a small number of low-performing sectors, 2) firms being seen by entrepreneurs as an interim solution, 3) the intertwining of household and enterprise money, and 4) credit constraints.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Campos, Francisco
Format:	Brief biblioteca
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2011-09
Subjects:	ACCESS TO CREDIT, ACCESS TO FINANCE, ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES, ACCESS TO MARKETS, BANK ACCOUNT, BANK ACCOUNTS, BANKS, BUSINESS ACTIVITIES, BUSINESS ADVICE, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, BUSINESS OWNER, BUSINESS OWNERS, BUSINESS PERFORMANCE, BUSINESS PLAN, BUSINESS PURPOSES, BUSINESS SERVICES, CAPITAL INVESTMENT, COLLATERAL, COMPETITIVENESS, CREDIT CONSTRAINTS, CREDIT GUARANTEES, CREDIT HISTORY, EARNINGS, ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ELECTRICITY, ENTREPRENEUR, ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS, ENTREPRENEURS, EQUIPMENT, FAMILY SUPPORT, FEMALE, FEMALE BUSINESS, FEMALE ENTERPRISES, FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS, FEMALE POPULATION, FINANCIAL LITERACY, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, GENDER, GENDER DIFFERENCES, GENDER GAPS, GENDER PROGRAM, GROUP OF WOMEN, GROWTH OF WOMEN, HOME, INITIAL INVESTMENTS, INSURANCE, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, JOB OPPORTUNITIES, LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, LIMITED ACCESS, MANUFACTURING, MARKET POTENTIAL, MARKETING, MEDIUM ENTERPRISES, MICRO ENTERPRISES, MICRO-ENTERPRISES, MICROFINANCE, PERSONAL LIFE, POOR ACCESS, PRIVATE SECTOR, PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTIVITY, SAVINGS, SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, SMALL BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS, SMALL BUSINESSES, TECHNICAL SKILLS, TELEPHONE, TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, UNEMPLOYMENT, WILL, WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS, WORKING CAPITAL, YOUTH, WOMEN AND PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT, AFRICA GENDER POLICY, GENDER INNOVATION LAB,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/323411468114544442/Gender-gaps-at-the-enterprise-level-evidence-from-South-Africa http://hdl.handle.net/10986/25526
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