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Microcredit: an answer to the gender problem in funding?

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  • Sophie Brana

    (Larefi - Laboratoire d'analyse et de recherche en économie et finance internationales - UB - Université de Bordeaux)

Abstract

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) target poor people, excluded from the banking system. By giving them starting capital, they should thus enable a greater number of women to create their own business, but also in sectors traditionally reserved for men due to the initial capital they require. Our study covers a portfolio of 3,640 microcredits in France over the 2000-2006 period. It identifies microfinance institutions' client profiles, brings to light the men/women differences and compares them to a wider sample of entrepreneurs. We show that the men/women gap found amongst company creators is maintained amongst clients of MFIs. We also demonstrate that the gender criterion is a decisive factor of the amount of the microcredit when compared to the borrower and firm profile. To a certain extent, MFI thus reproduce gender inequalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Sophie Brana, 2008. "Microcredit: an answer to the gender problem in funding?," Working Papers hal-00740098, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-00740098
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-00740098
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Microcredit; Gender; Entrepreneurship; Small business.; Small business;
    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
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups

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