Gender, entrepreneurship and food security in Niger

Abstract

In many African countries, the income generated from the informal sector and the entrepreneurship is particularly important for reducing poverty. Previous studies have not found clear evidence on the relationship between self‐employment by gender and food security. We argue that this may be a result of the gender inequality in resource accessibility. In this paper, we analyze the implication of household entrepreneurship on food security in Niger, where gender disparities in resource accessibility are reduced. We find that owning female‐managed non‐agricultural enterprises is positively related to food accessibility and food availability within female‐headed households. The results draw the attention on reducing gender differences in resource accessibility in entrepreneurship for improving food security.

The triple differential vulnerability of female entrepreneurs to climate risk insub‐SaharanAfrica: Gendered barriers and enablers to private sector adaptation

“…Yet women are traditionally responsible for food security and household management and are often “necessity entrepreneurs” (Welsh et al, 2013, p. 2); driven to start businesses to support themselves and their families (Halkias et al, 2011; Isaga, 2019; Mazonde & Carmichael, 2016). As such, a number of studies indicate that women often invest more in their families and in their community's resilience and more efficiently allocate returns from SMEs to the most critical household assets, including health, education, and food security (e.g., Dedehouanou & Araar, 2020).…”

Guest editorial: Introduction to the special issue on contemporary issues in micro and small business development in Africa

“…Most women start businesses out of necessity (Devine and Kiggundu, 2016). The evidence also suggests that access to resources is biased against women, resulting in disadvantages in their ability to create and operate businesses (Dedehouanou and Araar, 2020).…”

Heterogeneity in entrepreneurship in developing countries: Risk, credit, and migration and the entrepreneurial propensity of youth and women

“…But the effect may well depend on how the decision‐making process is structured across gender within the household. Dedehouanou and Araar’s (2020) contribution aims to explicitly examine the implication of gender entrepreneurs in terms of household food security in Niger, with the recognition that the entrepreneurial propensity of women, as well as their success or performance, tend to be inhibited in situations where gender differences in constraints and in economic opportunities exist, mostly against women.…”

“…Similarly, Daoud, Sarsour, Shanti, and Kamal (2020) explore gender differences in the determinants of entrepreneurship in a recursive mixed‐process model of entrepreneurship determination that accounts for endogeneity; they find that being a woman reduces the probability of entrepreneurship even when controlling for fear of failure and skill perception; and skill perception (believing that one has the skills necessary to run a business) lowers fear of failure (as a proxy of risk intolerance) for both men and women, and these results are consistent over time. In the specific context of Niger where women tend to have less control over household resources, Dedehouanou and Araar (2020) suggest that reducing such gender‐based inequality has the potential to increase female entrepreneurship. Moreover, as a result of more women involved in small nonagricultural businesses, food security is found to improve significantly, especially for female‐headed households that tend to be associated with full control for women over family resources.…”