Female Business Ownership and Informal Sector Persistence

Ghani, Ejaz ; Kerr, William R. ; O'Connell, Stephen D.

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCOUNTING;    ADB;    AID;    BANKING SECTOR;    BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-6612
RP-ID  :  WPS6612

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The informal sector in India has beenexceptionally persistent over the past two decades. Is thisa bad thing? Not necessarily. This paper shows that asubstantial share of the persistence in India'sunorganized manufacturing sector is due to the rapidincrease in female-owned businesses. Had women'sparticipation remained in the proportion to male-ownedbusinesses that was evident in 1994, the unorganizedmanufacturing sector would have declined in share ratherthan increased. Most of these new female-owned businessesare opened in the household and at a small scale, about athird of the size of a typical male-owned business in theinformal sector. Yet, it appears that these businesses offereconomic opportunities not otherwise present and atransition for some women from unpaid domestic work.