Abstract
The performance of small businesses, that is the ability of small firms to contribute to job and wealth creation through business start-up, survival and growth, has been an important area of policy and academic debate in the 1980s. Surprisingly little has been written about gender and small business performance. Our literature search revealed only a small number of studies of any substance on this subject, though over forty made some mention of it, Most studies shied away from direct examination of quantitative performance measures (such as jobs created, sales turnover, annual growth), tending to concentrate on qualitative measures of success or failure. The paper examines small business performance and gender using data obtained from a survey of 600 (300 women, 300 men) Scottish and English small business ownermanagers, part of a three year study on the impact of gender on small business management. Analyses suggest that the relationship between gender and small business performance is complex, but that gender still appears to be a significant determinant even after other key factors are controlled for.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Birley, S., 1989, ‘Female Entrepreneurs, Are They Really Different?’ Journal of Small Business Management 27(1), 32–36.
Brush, C. G., 1992, ‘Research of Women Business Owners: Past Trends, a New Perspective, Future Directions’, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 16(4), 5–30.
Brush, C. D., 1990, ‘Women and Enterprise Creation: Barriers and Opportunities’, in S. Gould and J. Parzen (eds.), Enterprising Women: Local Initiatives for Job Creation, Paris: OECD, pp. 37–58.
Brush, C. G. and P. VanderWerf, 1992, ‘A Comparison of Methods and Sources for Obtaining Estimates of New Venture Performance’, Journal of Business Venturing 7(2), 157–170.
Carter, S. and T. Cannon, 1992, Women as Entrepreneurs, London: Academic Press.
Creigh, S., C. Roberts, A. Gorman and P. Sawyer, 1988, ‘Self-Employment in Britain: Results from the Labour Force Surveys’, Employment Gazette, June, 183–194.
Cuba, R., D. Decenzo and A. Anish, 1983, ‘Management Practices of Successful Female Business Owners’, American Journal of Small Business 8(2), 40–45.
Daly, M. 1991, ‘The 1980s — A Decade of Growth in Enterprise: Self-Employment Data from the Labour Force Survey’, Employment Gazette, March, 109–134.
Cooper, A., C. Y. Woo and W. C. Dunkelberg, 1989, ‘Entrepreneurship and the Initial Size of Firms’, Journal of Business Venturing 4(5), 317–332.
Hamilton, D., P. Rosa and S. Carter, 1992, ‘The Impact of Gender on the Management of Small Business: Some Fundamental Problems’, in R. Welford (ed.), Small Business and Small Business Development — A Practical Approach, Bradford: European Research Press, pp. 33–40.
Hisrich, R. D. and C. G. Brush, 1983, ‘The Woman Entrepreneur: Implications of Family, Educational and Occupational Experience’, Frontiers in Entrepreneurship Research, Wellesley: Babson College, pp. 255–270.
Hisrich, R. D. and C. G. Brush, 1987, ‘Women Entrepreneurs: A Longitudinal Study’, Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, Wellesley: Babson College, pp. 187–189.
Johnson, S. and D. Storey, 1989–1993, ‘Male and Female Entrepreneurs and their Business: A Comparative Study’, Conference on Women Entrepreneurs: University of Bradford. Revised version in Allen, S. and C. Truman (eds.), Women Entrepreneurs, Routledge, London, pp. 70–85.
Kalleberg, A. and K. T. Leicht, 1991, ‘Gender and Organisational Performance: Determinants of Small Business Survival and Success’, Academy of Management Journal 34(1), 136–161.
Lipper, A., 1988, ‘Defining the Win and Thereby Lessening the Losses for Successful Entrepreneurs’, Journal of Creative Behaviour 22(3), 172–177.
Longstreth, M., K. Stafford and T. Mauldin, 1988, ‘Self-Employed Women and their Families: Time Use and Socio-Economic Characteristics’, Journal of Small Business Management 25(3), 30–37.
Mescon, T. S., G. E. Stevens and G. S. Vozikis, 1983–84, ‘Women as Entrepreneurs’, Wisconsin Business Forum 2(2), 7–17.
Moser, C. A. and G. Kalton, 1971, Survey Methods in Social Investigation, London: Heinneman, 2nd Edition.
Nelton, S., 1990, ‘The Challenge to Women’, Nation's Business, July, 16–21.
Rosa, P. and D. Hamilton, 1994, ‘Gender and Ownership in U.K. Small Firms’, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 18(3), 11–23.
Rosa, P., D. Hamilton, S. Carter and H. Burns, 1994, ‘Impact of Gender on Small Business Management: Preliminary Findings of a British Study’, International Small Business Journal 12(3), 25–32.
Sexton, D. L., 1989, ‘Research on Women's Business Owners’, in O. Hagen, C. Rivchun and D. L. Sexton (eds.), Women Owned Businesses, New York: Praeger, pp. 183–193.
Storey, D., 1983, ‘Small Firms Policies: A Critique’, Journal of General Management 8(4), 5–19.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rosa, P., Carter, S. & Hamilton, D. Gender as a determinant of small business performance: Insights from a British study. Small Bus Econ 8, 463–478 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390031
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390031