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Female Business Leaders, Business and Cultural Environment, and Productivity around the World / Sheng Fang.
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository (formerly "World Bank E-Library Publications") Available online
View online- Format:
- Book
- Government document
- Author/Creator:
- Fang, Sheng.
- Series:
- Policy research working papers.
- World Bank e-Library.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Business Environment.
- Competition.
- Competition Policy.
- Corporate Governance and Corruption.
- Curruption.
- Enterprise Development and Reform.
- Female Entrepreneurs.
- Firm Productivity.
- Gender.
- Gender and Development.
- Gender and Economic Policy.
- Microenterprises.
- Networks.
- Private Sector Development.
- Small And Medium Size Enterprise.
- Small and Medium Size Enterprises.
- Local Subjects:
- Business Environment.
- Competition.
- Competition Policy.
- Corporate Governance and Corruption.
- Curruption.
- Enterprise Development and Reform.
- Female Entrepreneurs.
- Firm Productivity.
- Gender.
- Gender and Development.
- Gender and Economic Policy.
- Microenterprises.
- Networks.
- Private Sector Development.
- Small And Medium Size Enterprise.
- Small and Medium Size Enterprises.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (46 pages)
- Place of Publication:
- Washington, D.C. : The World Bank, 2020.
- System Details:
- data file
- Summary:
- Studies of female business leaders and economic performance are rarely conducted with worldwide observational data, and with considerations on the underlying cultural, institutional, and business environment. This paper uses worldwide, firm-level data from more than 100 countries to study how female-headed firms differ from male-headed firms in productivity level and growth, and whether the female leader performance disparity hinges on the underlying environment. Female-headed firms account for about 11 percent of firms and are more prevalent in countries with better rule of law, gender equality, and stronger individualistic culture. On average, female-headed firms have 9 to 16 percent lower productivity and 1.6 percentage points lower labor productivity growth, compared with male-headed firms. The disadvantage is mainly in manufacturing firms, largely nonexistent in service firms, and present in relatively small firms. Although the female leader performance disadvantage is surprisingly not related to gender equality, it is smaller where there isless emphasis on personal networks (better rule of law, lower trade credit linkages, lower usage of bank credit, and more equalizing internet), less competition, and the culture is more collective. The study does not find that the female leader disadvantage is amplified in corrupt environments. Africa differs significantly in that it features lower female disadvantage, stronger female advantage in services relative to manufacturing, and stronger sensitivity of female business leaders to electricity provision and bank credit access.
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