IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v54y2020i4d10.1007_s11187-018-0124-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gender, small firm ownership, and credit access: some insights from India

Author

Listed:
  • Kausik Chaudhuri

    (Leeds University)

  • Subash Sasidharan

    (Indian Institute of Technology Madras)

  • Rajesh Seethamma Natarajan Raj

    (Sikkim University)

Abstract

Using a comprehensive dataset on micro, small, and medium enterprises in India, we examine whether the gender of the owner matters in firm performance and in credit access from institutional sources. The study finds significant underperformance in the size, growth, and efficiency of firms owned by women when compared to those owned by men. In line with the evidence in the existing literature, our findings also support the view that women-owned firms are disadvantaged in the market for small-business credit. These findings suggest that addressing gender discrimination in the small-business credit market could help, partly, in bridging the performance gap between male- and female-owned firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Kausik Chaudhuri & Subash Sasidharan & Rajesh Seethamma Natarajan Raj, 2020. "Gender, small firm ownership, and credit access: some insights from India," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1165-1181, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:54:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s11187-018-0124-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-018-0124-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11187-018-0124-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11187-018-0124-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reyes Aterido & Mary Hallward-Driemeier & Carmen Pagés, 2011. "Big Constraints to Small Firms' Growth? Business Environment and Employment Growth across Firms," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59(3), pages 609-647.
    2. Smriti Sharma, 2014. "Benefits of a registration policy for microenterprise performance in India," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 153-164, January.
    3. Saul Estrin & Tomasz Mickiewicz, 2011. "Institutions and female entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 397-415, November.
    4. Aterido, Reyes & Beck, Thorsten & Iacovone, Leonardo, 2013. "Access to Finance in Sub-Saharan Africa: Is There a Gender Gap?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 102-120.
    5. Berger, Allen N. & Udell, Gregory F., 2006. "A more complete conceptual framework for SME finance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 2945-2966, November.
    6. Thomas Dohmen & Armin Falk & David Huffman & Uwe Sunde & Jürgen Schupp & Gert G. Wagner, 2011. "Individual Risk Attitudes: Measurement, Determinants, And Behavioral Consequences," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 9(3), pages 522-550, June.
    7. Oaxaca, Ronald, 1973. "Male-Female Wage Differentials in Urban Labor Markets," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 14(3), pages 693-709, October.
    8. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Esther Duflo, 2010. "Giving Credit Where It Is Due," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 24(3), pages 61-80, Summer.
    9. Jo Thori Lind & Halvor Mehlum, 2010. "With or Without U? The Appropriate Test for a U‐Shaped Relationship," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 72(1), pages 109-118, February.
    10. Arne Bigsten & Paul Collier & Stefan Dercon & Marcel Fafchamps & Bernard Gauthier & Jan Willem Gunning & Abena Oduro & Remco Oostendorp & Cathy Patillo & Måns S–derbom & Francis Teal & Albert Zeufack, 2003. "Credit Constraints in Manufacturing Enterprises in Africa," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE), vol. 12(1), pages 104-125, March.
    11. Sabarwal, Shwetlena & Terrell, Katherine, 2008. "Does Gender Matter for Firm Performance? Evidence from Eastern Europe and Central Asia," IZA Discussion Papers 3758, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Prabal De & Priya Nagaraj, 2014. "Productivity and firm size in India," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 891-907, April.
    13. Robert Fairlie & Alicia Robb, 2009. "Gender differences in business performance: evidence from the Characteristics of Business Owners survey," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 375-395, December.
    14. Richard F. J. Haans & Constant Pieters & Zi-Lin He, 2016. "Thinking about U: Theorizing and testing U- and inverted U-shaped relationships in strategy research," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(7), pages 1177-1195, July.
    15. Elena Bardasi & Shwetlena Sabarwal & Katherine Terrell, 2011. "How do female entrepreneurs perform? Evidence from three developing regions," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 417-441, November.
    16. Watson, John & Robinson, Sherry, 2003. "Adjusting for risk in comparing the performances of male- and female-controlled SMEs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 773-788, November.
    17. Muravyev, Alexander & Talavera, Oleksandr & Schäfer, Dorothea, 2009. "Entrepreneurs' gender and financial constraints: Evidence from international data," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 270-286, June.
    18. D. Storey, 2004. "Racial and Gender Discrimination in the Micro Firms Credit Market?: Evidence from Trinidad and Tobago," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 401-422, December.
    19. Andrea F. Presbitero & Roberta Rabellotti & Claudia Piras, 2014. "Barking up the Wrong Tree? Measuring Gender Gaps in Firm's Access to Finance," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(10), pages 1430-1444, November.
    20. Henrik Hansen & John Rand, 2014. "The Myth of Female Credit Discrimination in African Manufacturing," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(1), pages 81-96, January.
    21. Paula Kantor, 2005. "Determinants Of Women'S Microenterprise Success In Ahmedabad, India: Empowerment And Economics," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 63-83.
    22. Suresh de Mel & David McKenzie & Christopher Woodruff, 2009. "Are Women More Credit Constrained? Experimental Evidence on Gender and Microenterprise Returns," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(3), pages 1-32, July.
    23. John Watson, 2002. "Comparing the Performance of Male-and Female-Controlled Businesses: Relating Outputs to Inputs," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 26(3), pages 91-100, April.
    24. Acs,Zoltan J. & Armington,Catherine, 2011. "Entrepreneurship, Geography, and American Economic Growth," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107402539, January.
    25. Leora F. Klapper & Simon C. Parker, 2011. "Gender and the Business Environment for New Firm Creation," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 26(2), pages 237-257, August.
    26. Ken S. Cavalluzzo, 2002. "Competition, Small Business Financing, and Discrimination: Evidence from a New Survey," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 75(4), pages 641-680, October.
    27. Suresh D. Tendulkar & T. A. Bhavani, 1997. "Policy on Modern Small Scale Industries: A Case of Government Failure," Indian Economic Review, Department of Economics, Delhi School of Economics, vol. 32(1), pages 39-64, January.
    28. Wellalage, Nirosha & Locke, Stuart, 2017. "Access to credit by SMEs in South Asia: do women entrepreneurs face discrimination," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 336-346.
    29. Brad M. Barber & Terrance Odean, 2001. "Boys will be Boys: Gender, Overconfidence, and Common Stock Investment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 116(1), pages 261-292.
    30. Daniel A. Powers & Hirotoshi Yoshioka & Myeong-Su Yun, 2011. "mvdcmp: Multivariate decomposition for nonlinear response models," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 11(4), pages 556-576, December.
    31. Ashwini Deshpande & Smriti Sharma, 2013. "Entrepreneurship or Survival? Caste and Gender of Small Business in India," Working papers 228, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    32. Alex Coad & Jaganaddha Tamvada, 2012. "Firm growth and barriers to growth among small firms in India," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 383-400, September.
    33. Stephen, Roper & Jonathan M., Scott, 2009. "Perceived financial barriers and the start-up decision: An econometric analysis of gender differences using GEM data," MPRA Paper 23342, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    34. Elizabeth Asiedu & Isaac Kalonda-Kanyama & Leonce Ndikumana & Akwasi Nti-Addae, 2013. "Access to Credit by Firms in Sub-Saharan Africa: How Relevant Is Gender?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(3), pages 293-297, May.
    35. Suresh D. Tendulkar & T. A. Bhavani, 1997. "Policy On Modem Small Scale Industries: A Case Of Government Failure," Working papers 44, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ferdinando Giglio, 2020. "Access to Credit and Women Entrepreneurs: A Systematic Literature Review," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4), pages 312-335.
    2. Sandhya Garg & Samarth Gupta, 2021. "Financial Access and Gender Gap in Entrepreneurship and Employment: Evidence from Rural India," IEG Working Papers 442, Institute of Economic Growth.
    3. Anaïs Périlleux & Ariane Szafarz, 2022. "Women in the boardroom: a bottom–up approach to the trickle-down effect," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 1783-1800, April.
    4. Saheli Bose, 2023. "The penalty of work from home: gender gap in productivity of unorganised manufacturing firms in India," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 351-369, January.
    5. Bertrand, Jérémie & Osei-Tutu, Francis & Weill, Laurent, 2022. "Language gender-marking and borrower discouragement," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    6. Saibal Ghosh, 2023. "Gender and discouraged borrowers: Evidence from India," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(7), pages 1731-1752, October.
    7. Zhang, Dengjun & Wellalage, Nirosha Hewa & Fernandez, Viviana, 2022. "Environmental assurance, gender, and access to finance: Evidence from SMEs," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    8. Darden, Bryan B. & Kellermanns, Franz W. & Best, Emma L., 2022. "Entrepreneurial fear of failure: Transgender versus cis-gender entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 18(C).
    9. Saibal Ghosh, 2022. "Financing obstacles for SMEs: the role of politics," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 12(1), pages 329-340, December.
    10. Vanita Yadav & Jeemol Unni & Ravikiran Naik & Swati Dutta, 2022. "Gender Differentials in Entrepreneurship: Insights from a Multi-method Study," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 31(1), pages 30-64, March.
    11. Hewa-Wellalage, Nirosha & Boubaker, Sabri & Hunjra, Ahmed Imran & Verhoeven, Peter, 2022. "The gender gap in access to finance: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PA).
    12. Amon Simba & Mahdi Tajeddin & Léo-Paul Dana & Domingo E. Ribeiro Soriano, 2024. "Deconstructing involuntary financial exclusion: a focus on African SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 285-305, January.
    13. Indu Khurana & Daniel J. Lee, 2023. "Gender bias in high stakes pitching: an NLP approach," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 485-502, February.
    14. Allison, Lee & Liu, Yu & Murtinu, Samuele & Wei, Zuobao, 2023. "Gender and firm performance around the world: The roles of finance, technology and labor," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    15. Ferdinando Giglio, 2021. "Access to Credit and Women Entrepreneurs: A Systematic Literature Review," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(10), pages 1-12, September.
    16. Suresh Govindapuram & Samyukta Bhupatiraju & Rahul A. Sirohi, 2023. "Determinants of women's financial inclusion: Evidence from India," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 94(1), pages 131-158, March.
    17. Mushtaq, Rizwan & Gull, Ammar Ali & Usman, Muhammad, 2022. "ICT adoption, innovation, and SMEs’ access to finance," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(3).
    18. Bojan Moric Milovanovic, 2023. "The Role Of Education In Increasing Market And New Product Development Performance In The Context Of Female Entrepreneurship: The Case Of Croatia," Economic Thought and Practice, Department of Economics and Business, University of Dubrovnik, vol. 32(2), pages 391-408, december.
    19. Msomi Thabiso Sthembiso & Olarewaju Odunayo Magret & Ngcobo Xolani, 2021. "Sustaining South African small and medium-sized enterprises through monetary access and Literacy in the COVID-19 ERA," Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia, Sciendo, vol. 21(2), pages 57-75, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Amina Ika Micah, 2022. "Three essays on access to credit and financial shock in Nigeria," Economics PhD Theses 0422, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    2. Saibal Ghosh, 2023. "Gender and discouraged borrowers: Evidence from India," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(7), pages 1731-1752, October.
    3. Tesfaye T. Lemma & Tendai Gwatidzo & Mthokozisi Mlilo, 2023. "Gender differences in business performance: evidence from Kenya and South Africa," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 591-614, February.
    4. Radeef Chundakkadan & Subash Sasidharan, 2022. "Gender gap and access to finance: A cross‐country analysis," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 180-207, February.
    5. Dileni Gunewardena & Abdoulaye Seck, 2020. "Heterogeneity in entrepreneurship in developing countries: Risk, credit, and migration and the entrepreneurial propensity of youth and women," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 713-725, August.
    6. Emma Galli & Danilo V. Mascia & Stefania P. S. Rossi, 2020. "Bank credit constraints for women‐led SMEs: Self‐restraint or lender bias?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 26(4), pages 1147-1188, September.
    7. Pham, Tho & Talavera, Oleksandr, 2018. "Discrimination, Social Capital, and Financial Constraints: The Case of Viet Nam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 228-242.
    8. Tran, Viet T. & Nguyen, Trung Thanh & Tran, Nguyet T.M., 2019. "Gender difference in access to local finance and firm performance: Evidence from a panel survey in Vietnam," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 150-164.
    9. Sara Poggesi & Michela Mari & Luisa Vita, 2016. "What’s new in female entrepreneurship research? Answers from the literature," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 735-764, September.
    10. Claudia Piras & Andrea Filippo Presbitero & Roberta Rabellotti, 2013. "Definitions Matter: Measuring Gender Gaps in Firms' Access to Credit," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 90, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    11. Pham, Tho & Talavera, Oleksandr, 2018. "Discrimination, Social Capital, and Financial Constraints: The Case of Viet Nam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 228-242.
    12. Imène Berguiga & Philippe Adair, 2022. "Funding female entrepreneurs in MENA countries (2013-2019): self-selection and discrimination," Erudite Working Paper 2022-05, Erudite.
    13. Wellalage, Nirosha & Locke, Stuart, 2017. "Access to credit by SMEs in South Asia: do women entrepreneurs face discrimination," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 336-346.
    14. Aristei, David & Gallo, Manuela, 2016. "Does gender matter for firms' access to credit? Evidence from international data," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 18(C), pages 67-75.
    15. Islam, Asif M. & Amin, Mohammad, 2023. "The gender labor productivity gap across informal firms," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    16. Francesca Maria Cesaroni & Francesca Lotti & Paolo Emilio Mistrulli, 2013. "Female firms and banks� lending behaviour: what happened during the great recession?," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 177, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    17. Ferdinando Giglio, 2020. "Access to Credit and Women Entrepreneurs: A Systematic Literature Review," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4), pages 312-335.
    18. Zhang, Dengjun & Wellalage, Nirosha Hewa & Fernandez, Viviana, 2022. "Environmental assurance, gender, and access to finance: Evidence from SMEs," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    19. In Lee & Matthew Marvel, 2014. "Revisiting the entrepreneur gender–performance relationship: a firm perspective," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 769-786, April.
    20. Kalnins, Arturs & Williams, Michele, 2014. "When do female-owned businesses out-survive male-owned businesses? A disaggregated approach by industry and geography," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 822-835.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender; Small firms; Access to finance; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • N65 - Economic History - - Manufacturing and Construction - - - Asia including Middle East
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:54:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s11187-018-0124-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.