Female Business Research Articles

Mobile phones, leadership and gender in rural business groups

Digital information and communication technologies are recognized as vital tools for empowering marginalized groups such as women in low income developing countries through reducing the costs of communication and connectivity. This study aimed at assessing the gender difference in mobile phone ownership among youth business group members, and how it affects election into leadership and group board positions in rural youth business groups in northern Ethiopia. We used instrumental variable methods on survey data on 1125 youths in 119 youth business groups where 32% of the members were female. Our results indicated that 37% of the females and 70% of the males owned mobile phones. Male members were twice as likely to become board members and five times as likely to become group leaders. Mobile phones had become instrumental for male members to become group leaders and board members while this was not the case for female members. Male members without mobile phone were not significantly more likely to become board members or group leaders than female members without and with mobile phones. The gender digital divide is thus a question of both ownership and the use of mobile phones for business and for getting positions that can empower women in business. Further research should investigate whether provision of mobile phones and training of female business members in use of mobile phones for business can lead to female empowerment and thereby eliminate or reduce the observed digital gender discrimination.

Out of thin air: emerging Muslim fashion entrepreneurs and the spectre of labour in Indonesia

ABSTRACT Indonesia’s bid to be the world’s Muslim fashion capital involves a growing number of female Muslim fashion designers and business owners. With more urban Indonesian young women adopting modest clothing, increasing state support for creative and digital economy, and ease of access and distribution, the market expansion of the Muslim fashion industry allows young Muslim women to become successful entrepreneurs and good virtuous Muslims at the same time. Based on 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork, this article examines how Indonesia’s emerging female ethical entrepreneurs frame their successes using highly individualistic and virtuous registers. Muslim women’s fashion entrepreneurs seem to be concerned primarily with their passion, talent, and hard work combined with their commitment to religious practices to receive ‘blessings’ from God for their businesses. Labour conditions of mostly lower-class Muslim women working in home-based garment workshops or konveksi, manufacturing the new styles of hijab or veil and modest dresses for the industry, were treated as dismissible and small adjustments were quick to be celebrated as improvements. This paper calls for a critical reading of Muslim women’s economic participation and argues that the visibility of middle-class young women as aspiring entrepreneurs conceals the exploitation of lower-class young women’s labour.

Impact of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities on Business Performance of Women Home-based Businesses in Indonesia

This study aims to determine the business performance that has been carried out by women entrepreneurs who were focused on home business in Pekanbaru. The population in this study were women entrepreneurs who were focused on home business in Pekanbaru. For sample obtained of 97 people. Collecting data using the questionnaire method, by distributing a list of statements directly to respondents through the google form application. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression analysis which is operated through the SPSS Version20. The results showed that simultaneously the variables of Knowledge Competence (Knowledge), Skills (Skills), Ability (Ability) had a significant effect on the business performance of women home-based business actors in Pekanbaru. Meanwhile, partially for the Ability variable, it does not directly affect the business performance of female home-based business actors in Pekanbaru.

Meaningful Work, Quality of Work-life, and Job Satisfaction: A Study of Nightlife Workers

Work is a means for man to fulfill their needs. However, from the positive psychology point of view, work is more than to fulfill the needs but beyond that reason. Work experiences provide added value to man’s lives and societal growth. Nightlife industries are hardly researched even though these industries have been growing vastly. Workers in these areas are similar to other workers from different types of industries in that they make meaning of their work and experience job satisfaction and quality of their work-life. This research aimed at testing the contribution of the quality of work-life and meaningful work toward job satisfaction of female nightlife business workers. Path analysis using PLS-SEM shows that the job satisfaction of nightlife workers is predicted by their meaningful work and quality of work life. In this study, meaningful work acts as a mediator in the relationship between quality of work-life and job satisfaction.

Funding female entrepreneurs in North Africa: self-selection vs discrimination? MSMEs, the informal sector and the microfinance industry

PurposeThis paper aims to address the following research question: Is loan funding to female entrepreneurs in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco affected by self-selection from borrowers or/and discrimination from lenders? This paper sheds light on empirical literature review, which displays mixed evidence.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a pooled sample of 3,896 businesses in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia drawn from the 2013 World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES). Despite selection biases and overweighing, the sample provides descriptive statistics upon gender ownership and gender management (human capital characteristics and financial data). The authors design two regression logistic models with interaction to investigate loan demand and loan granting with respect to self-selection vs discrimination. Female management is disentangled from female ownership with respect to entrepreneurship.FindingsNeither self-selection nor discrimination affects female owners compared with their male counterparts, whereas female managers do self-select themselves. In as much as the WBES female subsample include several biases, the authors eventually emphasise the importance of the non-surveyed informal sector, which includes most (micro-)businesses, and loan funding provided by the microfinance industry to these female businesses. Microfinance fills the gap for working capital but not for fixed assets. The size of the business is a major factor explaining both self-selection and discrimination.Research limitations/implicationsFindings of this study have important policy implications for closing the gender gap in accessing finance. In addition to supply-side factors, demand-side factors should be addressed. Informality also needs to be addressed, as many micro and small enterprises owned or managed by women are informal entities without registration or/and social protection. One way to increase women's demand for financial services is to introduce financial products to meet their needs (e.g. social protection basic coverage). Governments can help develop these new products by strengthening the microfinance industry with a favourable regulatory and institutional framework. The authors also wonder about the extension of this study. Thus, a new cross-sectional analysis of the most recent surveys in the North African region would allow the authors to enlarge the overall sample and measure the evolution of the gender gap over time.Originality/valueSo far, funding female entrepreneurship remained little investigated in these North African countries. Several sampling biases in the WBES – small businesses underestimation and manufacturing industry overweighting, which have been overlooked so far, explain the absence of self-selection and discrimination. In contrast, size plays an important role. Hence, the focus on microenterprises (the informal sector) and the microfinance industry suggests indeed that female entrepreneurs operating in small businesses have to cope with both self-selection and discrimination.

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND GENDER UNIFORMITY

This study explores that how the economy depends upon different factors, including quality, gender direction association and the possibility of business. Gender reasonableness and women's undertaking are key factors for monetary unforeseen development. To take a gender at the association between gender consistency and women's undertaking rates, this paper examines how gender direction express financial activities and women's ambitious soul relate. The study depicts the association between the Gender headway rates familiarized by the UN and the dissimilar periods of female business (made by the Global Entrepreneurial Monitor, GEM) through comparability examination. Our results show that women's undertaking is not in a general sense associated with gender correspondence. Keywords: Female undertaking, Gender direction consistency, money related unforeseen development

Childcare Matters: Female Business Owners and the Baby-Profit Gap

The previous literature documents that female-owned businesses are less profitable than male-owned businesses, including microenterprises that make up the majority of firms in developing countries. In this paper, we uncover an overlooked gendered constraint for these businesses: childcare. We collect field data through unannounced visits to a sample of microentrepreneurs in select areas of Uganda, combining surveys of business owners and real customers, as well as purchases by confederate buyers (i.e., mystery shoppers). We document that childcare duties in businesses are highly gendered: 37% of female owners bring small children to work, compared with 0% of men. Childcare duties are correlated with a “baby-profit gap,” as businesses where children are present earn 48% lower profits than even other female-owned businesses where a child is not present. Using our rich data, we analyze potential reasons why childcare obligations may affect profits. We find that prices, product quality, and other explanations are not robustly correlated with the presence of a baby. However, we find that women with children in the store are more likely to run out of stock than both men and women who do not have children in the store. Although we caution that our analysis is not causal, we consistently find that childcare duties are associated with profitability and may relate to the wider gender gap in business performance. This paper was accepted by Lamar Pierce, organizations.

The value of in-person banking: evidence from U.S. small businesses

We produce the first systematic study of the determinants and implications of in-person banking. Using survey data from the U.S., we show that firms which are informationally opaque or operate in rural areas are liable to contact their primary bank in-person. This tendency extends to older, less educated, and female business owners. We find that a relationship based on face-to-face communication, on average, lasts 17.88 months longer, spans a wider range of financial services, and is more likely to be exclusive. The associated loans mature 3.37 months later and bear interest rates which are 11 basis points lower. For good quality firms, in-person communication also relates to less discouraged borrowing. These results are robust to multiple approaches for endogeneity, including recursive bivariate probits, treatment effect models, and instrumental variables regressions. Overall, our findings offer empirical grounding to soft information theory and a note of caution to banks against suppressing channels of interpersonal communication.

The Underrepresentation of Iranian Females in Business Leadership Positions: A Qualitative Case Study

Although 60% of university students in Iran are females as a result of huge investments in women’s education, highly educated females occupy only 10% of leadership positions (Arasti, 2012). The purpose of this study was to clarify from Iranian female business leaders’ perspective the reason or reasons behind such a gap. In this research female business leaders explain their perception about barriers that hinder Iranian females from obtaining higher positions in business organizations. This research was conducted in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, and data was gathered by interviewing female business leaders who have experienced obstacles and barriers to obtaining higher positions. Based on the research questions, familial, cultural, and political barriers were studied and findings were analysed and evaluated. Because there are similarities between Iran and other Middle Eastern countries (Owen, 2000), the findings of this study may be significant to understand obstacles that females in Middle Eastern countries face in their progress to their empowerment and occupying decision-making positions. Keywords: Women, Leadership, Iran, Discrimination, Glass ceiling, Business, Organization, Female

The Effect of Peer Gender on Major Choice in Business School

Business degrees are popular and lead to high earnings. Female business graduates, however, earn less than their male counterparts. These gender differences can be traced back to university, where women shy away from majors like finance that lead to high earnings. In this paper, we investigate how the gender composition of peers in business school affects women’s and men’s major choices and labor market outcomes. We find that women who are randomly assigned to teaching sections with more female peers become less likely to choose male-dominated majors like finance and more likely to choose female-dominated majors like marketing. After graduation, these women end up in jobs where their earnings grow more slowly. Men, on the other hand, become more likely to choose male-dominated majors and less likely to choose female-dominated majors when they had more female peers in business school. However, men’s labor market outcomes are not significantly affected. Taken together, our results show that studying with more female peers in business school increases gender segregation in educational choice and affects labor market outcomes. This paper was accepted by Axel Ockenfels, decision analysis.

The geography of female small business survivorship: Examining the roles of proportional representation and stakeholders

AbstractResearch summaryCombining insights from research on firm‐level stakeholders with the well‐established micro literature on social categorization, we develop and test a theory regarding the relative survivorship of female‐owned and male‐owned businesses. The theory is based on proportional representation within geographic areas, defined as each area's female‐owned proprietorship count divided by its total proprietorship count. Analyzing survivorship of over one million proprietorships, we find a robust positive relationship between proportional representation and survival. We then examine effects of local stakeholders such as banks, customers, and network opportunities, in combination with proportional representation. Our research suggests that the effects of female proportional representation are more pervasive than previously considered, influenced by communities of business stakeholders, and, in some cases, leveling the playing field for female entrepreneurs.Managerial summaryWe analyzed relative survival duration of one million female‐ and male‐owned proprietorship businesses. We argued that a higher proportional representation of female business owners among all owners in a geographical area would combat negative stereotypes about women's business competence. We found that female‐owned businesses survived relatively longer than their male‐owned counterparts in areas with substantial proportional representation of female owners and that the relative benefits for women were magnified in the presence of local banks (which provide capital) as well as in customer‐rich and network‐rich areas. Business ownership has been proposed to be a “great equalizer” for women frustrated by the glass ceilings of corporate employment. We find this is true, but only in areas with a high proportional representation of women among business owners.

Mediaciones transversales en la construcción social de las mujeres ejecutivas

Texto justificado en investigación teórica acerca de las mediaciones que reciben las mujeres ejecutivas de alta gerencia a lo largo de su vida y su entretejido en el camino de la crianza, relación con instituciones y medios de comunicación, con el objetivo de exponer las mediaciones de la familia, organización y medios de comunicación, así como su repercusión en la construcción social de las mujeres. El método de selección de las investigaciones incluidas fue a través de la pertinencia con el tema y la representación de las mujeres que actualmente ocupan los puestos ejecutivos. La mediación de la familia y la organización son fundamentales en la construcción social de la mujer de alta gerencia. Los medios de comunicación ocupan una relevancia distinta en el proceso, afectando en la creación de estereotipos disonantes entre la femineidad y el liderazgo.

Are female business travelers willing to travel during COVID-19? An exploratory study

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the tourism industry. A successful recovery from the pandemic requires a clear understanding of the ‘new normal’, including tourists’ perceived risks, safety perceptions, attitudes, and willingness to travel. Guided by the Risk Perception Attitude (RPA) Framework, this study investigated female business travelers’ risk perception attitude and willingness to travel in the COVID-19 climate. This study segmented the sample into four distinct RPA groups, including the Avoidance, Proactive, Responsive, and Indifference groups. These groups differ in some demographic characteristics and the strength of willingness to travel. Findings also showed that anxiety, perceived safety, and consumer confidence mediate the relationships between the sample’s RPA and willingness to travel, but the exact relationship varies by groups. Finally, this paper discussed the theoretical contributions and practical implications of this study.

Incivility Within and Beyond Classrooms: Exploring the Perceptions of Targets, Instigators, and Observers

This study aimed at understanding the perceptions of female students who had experienced or witnessed incivility by faculty, and instigated incivility in or out of the classroom and how it affected them. Through the application of a phenomenological and qualitative approach, data were collected from eight (8) female business administration students from public sector universities of Quetta, Pakistan. The findings of the study revealed that female students experienced and witnessed faculty incivility within and beyond the classrooms, which included harassment, character assassination, and humiliation characterized as intense behaviors of faculty. These encounters of faculty incivility resulted in psychological distress like depression, interrupted sleeping patterns, and fear. Furthermore, the findings concerning instigated incivility exhibited that those female students who misbehaved with their instructors were distressed and wanted to quit their studies. The results of this study would be helpful for the university administration to develop policies to combat incivility in educational institutions.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Owners: The First Three Months after Social-Distancing Restrictions

Social distancing restrictions and health- and economic-driven demand shifts from COVID-19 are expected to shutter many small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures, but there is very little early evidence on impacts. This paper provides the first analysis of impacts of the pandemic on the number of active small businesses in the United States using nationally representative data from the April 2020 CPS – the first month fully capturing early effects. The number of active business owners in the United States plummeted by 3.3 million or 22 percent over the crucial two-month window from February to April 2020. The drop in active business owners was the largest on record, and losses to business activity were felt across nearly all industries. African-American businesses were hit especially hard experiencing a 41 percent drop in business activity. Latinx business owner activity fell by 32 percent, and Asian business owner activity dropped by 26 percent. Simulations indicate that industry compositions partly placed these groups at a higher risk of business activity losses. Immigrant business owners experienced substantial losses in business activity of 36 percent. Female business owners were also disproportionately affected (25 percent drop in business activity). Continuing the analysis in May and June, the number of active business owners remained low – down by 15 percent and 8 percent, respectively. The continued losses in May and June, and partial rebounds from April were felt across all demographic groups and most industries. These findings of early-stage losses to small business activity have important implications for policy, income losses, and future economic inequality.

Recognizing the Impact of Study Abroad on Women Business Students: Results from a Mixed Methods Global Competency Survey

This article presents the results of a mixed methods survey collected from male and female business students that have studied abroad and not studied abroad. The survey of business students indicates significant differences between men and women that have studied abroad regarding motivation and outcomes of study abroad experience. This paper describes the significant outcomes of study abroad emphasizing the effects of study abroad on women’s global competency. The discussion, limitations, and recommendations for future research, program development, and career integration for women are also presented. The goal of this paper is to have readers reconsider the relevancy of study abroad for women.

Asymmetric information, business environment, and transactions costs among business owners in Nigeria: Implications for female entrepreneurial sustainability transitions

AbstractThis article assesses the link between asymmetric information and transaction cost and how this can enhance or hinder female business owners from attaining entrepreneurial sustainability transitions in the Nigerian business space. The concept of information dissemination, business environment, and ease of doing business were scrutinized as a subdivision of asymmetric information and transaction cost theory among female entrepreneurs in Nigeria using the Enterprise Survey Data of the World Bank. Key indicators like regulations and taxes, gender, firm characteristics, finance, and infrastructure were highlighted as major business obstacles limiting female entrepreneurs. These were found to limit female entrepreneurs in accessing information, which can help them adequately flourish in the Nigerian business environment, as well as the attainment of entrepreneurial sustainability transitions.

The influence of tourists’ perceived value and demographic characteristics on the homestay industry: A study based on social stratification theory

The development of the homestay industry has helped Chinese consumers to diversify their consumption of accommodation products. This paper examines the impact of demographic variables, such as tourists’ age, gender, level of education, occupation, and discretionary income, on their perceived functional, emotional, and social values via a multi-layered hierarchical approach. Using a sample of 472 homestay guests from 45 homestays across six provinces, we used cluster analysis to test whether there are significant differences between demographic groups in terms of functional perceived value, emotional value, and social value.In general, age plays an important role in the classification of homestay guests. Male students and male business owners pay more attention to the emotional value of the hotel than do other types of guests. Female business owners and employees of enterprises and institutions pay more attention to the social perception value brought to them by staying in homestays. This study has useful implications for the management of homestay accommodation.

Post-Secondary Institution Level and Control: Effect on Women’s Proportion of Entrepreneurship Degrees

This study examines the influence U.S. college/university level (2-year/4-year) and control (public/private) have on the female-awarded proportion of their entrepreneurship degrees and certificates (EDCs). It also examines trends over a decade, 2006-2016. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data on U.S. institutions awarding Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 52.07 (Entrepreneurship and Small Business degrees/certificates) in 2006, 2011, and/or 2016 is analyzed using ANOVA/ANCOVA/repeated measures methods. Surprisingly, even with the growing focus on female entrepreneurship, results did not show significant increases in the female-awarded proportion of EDCs over the ten years. Closer examination of 2016 data shows 2-year public institutions confer a significantly larger percentage of their EDCs to women compared to both 4-year public and private institutions providing evidence that institution level and control influence the proportion and suggesting that 4-year institutions may still be gendered in terms of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship education has been empirically shown to augment entrepreneurial human and social capital, which is of key importance in entrepreneurship, particularly high-growth potential female businesses. For this reason, these results have important implications for post-secondary institution leaders and entrepreneurship educators, and serves as a call to action to pro-actively assess their environments and curriculum for potential gender biases. Suggestions provided.

The impact of COVID-19 on small business owners: Evidence from the first three months after widespread social-distancing restrictions.

Social‐distancing restrictions and health‐ and economic‐driven demand shifts from COVID‐19 are expected to shutter many small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures, but there is very little early evidence on impacts. This paper provides the first analysis of impacts of the pandemic on the number of active small businesses in the United States using nationally representative data from the April 2020 Current Population Survey—the first month fully capturing early effects. The number of active business owners in the United States plummeted by 3.3 million or 22% over the crucial 2‐month window from February to April 2020. The drop in active business owners was the largest on record, and losses to business activity were felt across nearly all industries. African‐American businesses were hit especially hard experiencing a 41% drop in business activity. Latinx business owner activity fell by 32%, and Asian business owner activity dropped by 26%. Simulations indicate that industry compositions partly placed these groups at a higher risk of business activity losses. Immigrant business owners experienced substantial losses in business activity of 36%. Female business owners were also disproportionately affected (25% drop in business activity). Continuing the analysis in May and June, the number of active business owners remained low—down by 15% and 8%, respectively. The continued losses in May and June, and partial rebounds from April were felt across all demographic groups and most industries. These findings of early‐stage losses to small business activity have important implications for policy, income losses, and future economic inequality.