Gender and Enterprise Development in Sub-Saharan Africa : A Review of Constraints and Effective Interventions
Female participation in entrepreneurial activities is higher in Sub-Saharan Africa than in any other region. However, women-owned businesses significantly underperform those owned by men. This paper identifies the main constraints that women face i...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/326061510086379739/Gender-and-enterprise-development-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa-a-review-of-constraints-and-effective-interventions http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28858 |
| Summary: | Female participation in entrepreneurial
activities is higher in Sub-Saharan Africa than in any other
region. However, women-owned businesses significantly
underperform those owned by men. This paper identifies the
main constraints that women face in developing their
businesses in Africa and discusses how these constraints
influence strategic choices in areas such as level of
investment and sector of operations. The paper synthesizes
the emerging lessons about what works and what does not work
to address the underlying constraints to the performance of
women-owned firms. Moreover, it identifies knowledge gaps
and priority research questions. The paper aims to support
the development of a gender-informed policy and research
agenda on enterprise development that can guide
practitioners, development partners, and researchers who
seek to advance women's economic empowerment in Africa. |
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