Does credit availability differ for women and male micro-entrepreneurs?: A brief literature review in the Indian context

Abstract

In many developing countries, for example, India, the male is still dominating in entrepreneurship. Female entrepreneurs tend to be more concentrated in the micro-enterprise, mostly home-based. The paper critically examines whether there is discrimination in credit availability based on gender. It identifies the various socio-cultural factors like gender bias and gender role stereotypes that act as barriers to women's entrepreneurial journeys. It tries to determine why a significant proportion of female home-based entrepreneurs still rely on informal credit sources.