Gender and business performance

The purpose of this study was to compare the Lebanese female-owned small firms and the Lebanese male-owned small firms with respect to the firm's business performance, the owner's human capital and the firm's business characteristics. Based on a sample of 30 Lebanese small firms (18 male-owned and 12 female owned firms), which operate in the different Lebanese regions we tried to demonstrate that gender has an impact on financial performance. A descriptive methodology was followed, information was collected through a self administered questionnaire and the data was analyzed through SPSS. Our findings showed strong evidence that female-owned small firms differ from male-owned small firms according to their gross revenues. In general, they generate lower gross revenues than do the counterparts. However, no significant differences were found between female and male owners in terms of their incomes. Moreover, we found that the difference in gross revenues can be explained by factors related to the owner's level of education, the owner's business experience (although it disappeared from the regression model), the firm's age and the firm's size.