Female Entrepreneurs : How and Why Are They Different?

This paper reviews and critically evaluates existing evidence on female entrepreneurial activity. First, we identify how female-run businesses are different, by examining both economic and non-economic outcomes which are frequently overlooked. Seco...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Carranza, Eliana, Dhakal, Chandra, Love, Inessa
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/400121542883319809/Female-Entrepreneurs-How-and-Why-are-They-Different
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31004
Description
Summary:This paper reviews and critically evaluates existing evidence on female entrepreneurial activity. First, we identify how female-run businesses are different, by examining both economic and non-economic outcomes which are frequently overlooked. Second, we offer a comprehensive discussion of drivers to explain why these differences. We group these drivers in four categories: (i) preferences, (ii) endowments, (iv) external constraints, and (iv) internal constraints. Third, we review evidence on the types of policies that have been effective or have potential to address the different drivers. Finally, we offer a discussion of the gaps in the literature and identify areas for future research.