Does the Gender of Top Managers and Owners Matter for Firm Exports?

Abstract

ABSTRACTHow are export propensity and intensity affected by gender? Data from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys (waves 2006–07, 2009–10) are used in a cross-country analysis to investigate whether export propensity and intensity differ according to the gender of top managers and entrepreneurs. Exporting is riskier than selling domestically and women, on average, tend to be more risk averse than men. Exporting entails costs, and women may have reduced access to finance compared to men. Most firms managed or solely owned by women are young and small and may have more difficulty obtaining credit. Women may self-select into routine sectors with lower mean productivity. Unlike most previous research, here the gender effect only takes into account firms where women have decision-making power. Accounting for the endogeneity of firm productivity, firm self-selection into exporting, and several factors influencing export propensity and intensity, the gender effect operates indirectly via some of those factors.