This article presents evidence from a qualitative study in which 67 in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion were conducted with ageing and old market women. The study focused on what 'old' means and how ageing and old market women redefi ne the meaning of 'old' to gain economic independence. The fi ndings indicate that the meaning is still greatly attached to physical changes; there are differences in how different individuals respond to the changes, as some challenge the gender stereotypes and prejudices attached to old age and show resilience. Indicators of resilience among market women included: an active economic lifestyle, asset ownership, the freedom to socialise, the ability to make decisions about what it is they value, and the ability to earn an income. Indeed, ageing women in market trade are less dependent on others. To these women, seniority in age was no longer a challenge, nor a source of distress; instead, it was a motivator for pushing forward. Based on the fi ndings, the authors recommend extending social security grants to enable even more old persons to start and maintain economically rewarding ventures.

The paper looks at the relationship between the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector of Uganda and firm characteristics and business environment. Data were gathered after administering questionnaires to 1690 SMEs located around tourist attractions throughout the country in 2018. The study uses quantile regression to analyze the determinants of firm performance. The findings indicate that entrepreneur/managers education, business experience, initial capital, business registration and age of the owner are important in explaining enterprise performance. We also find that male managed enterprises outperform those managed by female. The study suggests that providing easy access to credit for initial capital and easing the business registration process and training entrepreneurs/managers will increase performance of SMEs in the tourism industry.

The need to promote adoption of technology in general and Information and Communication Technologies, computers, and the internet in specific terms has increasingly become of interest. Observation is that while some potential users take on the innovation with much ease, others remain less enthusiastic, and some do not uptake at all. In addition, there are differences noted between male and female users. The reasons influencing the differences are not yet well explained but could be as a result of gender symbolism. The objective of this chapter is to review literature on gender symbolism and cite explanations supporting the influence of GS on differences in uptake.

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