Are cooperatives gender sensitive? A confirmatory and predictive analysis of women's collective entrepreneurship

Abstract

The literature on entrepreneurship has developed a huge body of fruitful research to explain why women do not engage in business as often as men. However, relatively little is known about the role that different business models may play in driving women's entrepreneurial activity, which is examined in this study.In this paper we develop a model to empirically test the relationship between women's motivations to become entrepreneurs and their willingness to embark on business through cooperatives, a particular organizational model. We find that the fit between women's needs and expectations and the guiding principles of cooperatives is decisive for the materialization of female entrepreneurship. Furthermore, we explore the role that institutions can play in fostering this link. In doing so, we extend the literature on women's entrepreneurship by highlighting key factors to better channel the development of this potential resource for economic development. Our confirmatory model highlights the role of cooperatives as a type of organization particularly suited to the interests and needs of women entrepreneurs. Thus, the promotion of this business model can be useful to improve the number of women entrepreneurs and, in turn, enhance economic development.

Does cooperative membership enhance inorganic fertilizer use intensity? Panel data evidence from maize farmers in Ethiopia

“…As in many developing countries, female farmers in Ethiopia have exceedingly limited access to key farm resources, such as physical and financial capital, and less market bargaining power compared to their male counterparts. In this respect, it can be surmised that cooperatives play a significant role in bridging the gender gap by providing opportunities for gender equity and equality (Bastida et al., 2022; Wossen et al., 2017). The insignificant results in both hurdles for female members, however, indicate that cooperative membership has not significantly affected the use or adoption intensity of inorganic fertilizer among female maize farmers.…”

“…Furthermore, well‐established cooperatives can enable resource‐poor farmers to intensify their farming by providing financial aid or seasonal credit for inputs (Bernard & Spielman, 2009) and facilitating the pooling of various resources between members (Wossen et al., 2017). More inclusive cooperatives can also contribute to overcoming the gender gap by helping female farmers create safe spaces in which to build their bargaining power (Bastida et al., 2022; Marenya et al., 2017). Particularly in SSA, agricultural cooperative membership is widely considered a basis for empowering marginalized and economically weak smallholder farmers by enhancing their collective bargaining capabilities in purchasing modern inputs (Ahmed & Mesfin, 2017; Minah, 2022).…”

Female leadership, internet use, and performance of agricultural cooperatives in Vietnam

“…Even though the literature shows that there is a difference in the purpose of internet use between males and females (Ojo et al., 2019) and the impact of internet use has also been found to be different between males and females (Nguyen & Do, 2022), there are only a few studies accounting for the gender aspect in examining the association between internet use and the performance of cooperatives (Ferguson & Kepe, 2011; Bastida et al., 2022), and their findings are inconclusive. On the one hand, Campbell & Mínguez‐Vera (2008) found that the share of female leaders on the board of directors positively affected firms’ financial performance.…”

“…These would help improve their performance by increasing productivity and improving market coordination (Galperin & Fernanda Viecens, 2017; FAO, 2018; Lio & Liu, 2006). However, the number of cooperatives adopting these new ICTs, including the internet, appears to be low (Bastida et al., 2022). This raises the need to examine the factors affecting internet use of agricultural cooperatives.…”

“…In recent years, the expansion of internet access has brought broad opportunities for women to improve literacy, education, and skills which help them gain better access to the formal economy (Lechman, 2019). Collective business models such as cooperatives have been found to be more suitable for women as an entrepreneurial activity (Bastida et al., 2022). Internet use can help female leaders save time in several activities such as looking for and contacting business partners, and reducing costs of trade settlement (Nguyen & Do, 2022; Zanello et al., 2014).…”