Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/196696 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 12198
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper analyzes the role of networks in access of women entrepreneurs to start-up capital and firm performance in Eswatini, a country with one of the highest female unemployment rates in Africa. The paper first shows that higher initial capital is associated with better sales performance for both men and women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs start their firms with smaller start-up capital than men and are more likely to fund it from their own sources, which reduces the size of their firm and sales level. However, women with higher education start their firms with more capital than their less educated counterparts. Moreover, women who receive support from professional networks have higher initial capital, while those trained in financial literacy more often access external funding sources, including through their networks.
Subjects: 
networks
start-up capital
multivariate analysis
Africa
JEL: 
L53
O12
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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