Microenterprise lending to female entrepreneurs: Sacrificing economic growth for poverty alleviation?

This research compares the performance of female and male entrepreneurs in a microenterprise credit program in Guatemala. Previous research and field practice has suggested that targeting credit at female borrowers allows for greater increases in household welfare, but that male entrepreneurs may more aggressively expand enterprises when given access to credit. In this paper, we develop a model that shows that increases in value of home time during childbearing years For women may substantially account for gender differences in responses to credit access. Empirical results from Guatemalan survey data yield estimations consistent with the predictions from our model. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.