Small business success in rural communities: explaining the sex gap.

摘要

Building on previous theory and research, we propose a "structural relational" view of the sex gap in small business success. Our findings, based on analyses of data from small business owners (n=423) in Iowa, USA, in 1995, show support for our model and suggest that links between owners, social relational processes, business structure, and small business success operate differently depending on the industry location of the business and the owner's sex. Results also indicate that the business owner's sex has direct and indirect effects on business success. This finding suggests that social relations, organizations, and institutions are all gendered in ways that influence the sex gap in sales, but that further research is needed to more fully explain sex differences in small business success. We discuss these and other findings in terms of their theoretical and practical implications, and suggest directions for future research.