Abstract
We explore potential causes for the well-documented profit gap between male- and female-owned microenterprises in low-income countries. We use rich data from an ongoing field project in Ghana's garment making sector, and our study sample consists of all garment making firms in a midsize district capital. Even within the same industry, male-owned firms earn nearly twice as much profit as female-owned firms. Furthermore, we find the large and persistent gender difference in profits cannot be explained by our extensive firm- and owner-level characteristics. We conclude that factors outside of individual firm or firm-owner characteristics are likely to be at play.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 252-55 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings |
State | Published - May 2018 |
Keywords
- gender
- firms