Female Small Business Owners in China: Discouraged, not Discriminated

Mustafa Caglayan (), Oleksandr Talavera () and Lin Xiong
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Lin Xiong: Robert Gordon University

Discussion Papers from Department of Economics, University of Birmingham

Abstract: Using a unique small business loan application dataset from a peer-to-peer (P2P) digital loan platform in China, we show that lenders do not discriminate against female business owners. However, female entrepreneurs are more likely to be discouraged from applying for funds after a failed attempt compared to their male counterparts. We also find that borrower discouragement is prominent among those from less developed regions or those who need finance for working capital. Although, digitization of financial markets has made external funding more accessible to small business owners, provision of better information on application process would help those who may be discouraged from posting a new funding application.

Keywords: Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending; Small business owners, Gender discrimination, Discouraged borrowers, Repeat rejections, Fintech, Digitization, China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G14 G32 M10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 36 pages
Date: 2020-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-ict, nep-pay and nep-tra
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https://repec.cal.bham.ac.uk/pdf/20-04.pdf

Related works:
Journal Article: Female small business owners in China: Discouraged, not discriminated (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bir:birmec:20-04

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