Access to Credit by Firms in Sub-Saharan Africa: How Relevant Is Gender?
Elizabeth Asiedu, Isaac Kalonda-Kanyama, Leonce Ndikumana, Akwasi Nti-Addae
American Economic Review · 2013 · Volume 103 · Issue 3
Abstract
The literature on the determinants of firms' financing constraints has paid little attention to gender as a determinant of access to finance. Using data for 34,342 firms from 90 developing countries, the paper analyzes the determinants of firms' financing constraints and assesses whether female-owned firms are more financially constrained than male-owned businesses. The results show that female-owned firms in sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to be financially constrained than male-owned firms, but there is no gender gap in other developing regions. The gender gap in sub-Saharan Africa is robust to variations in specifications and econometric estimation procedures.
Keywords
Economics of Gender, Non-labor Discrimination, Banks, Depository Institutions, Micro Finance Institutions, Mortgages, Financing Policy, Financial Risk and Risk Management, Capital and Ownership Structure, Value of Firms, Goodwill, Industrialization, Manufacturing and Service Industries, Choice of Technology, Economic Development: Financial Markets, Saving and Capital Investment, Corporate Finance and Governance
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