Are Women More Credit Constrained? Experimental Evidence on Gender and Microenterprise Returns

• Tác giả: Suresh de Mel
• Ngôn ngữ: eng
• Ký hiệu phân loại: 261.83 Social problems and services
• Thông tin xuất bản: 2012
• Bộ sưu tập: Tài liệu truy cập mở
• ID: 318194
• Chủ đề: 1. Economics of Gender; 2. Firm Performance: Size, Diversification, and Scope L250; 3. Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation D130; 4. Non-labor Discrimination J160; 5. Personal Finance D140

Tóm tắt

We report on a field experiment providing random grants to microenterprise owners. The grants generated large profit increases for male owners but not for female owners. We show that the gender gap does not simply mask differences in ability, risk aversion, entrepreneurial attitudes, or differences in reporting behavior, but there is some evidence that the gender gap is larger in female-dominated industries. The data are not consistent with a unitary household model, and imply an inefficiency of resource allocation within households. We show evidence that this inefficiency is reduced in more cooperative households.