Gender differences in Type 1 credit rationing of small businesses in the US

Abstract

This paper explores Type 1 credit rationing by gender using data from the 1998 and 2003 Survey of Small Business Finances (SSBF). Type 1 credit rationing occurs when borrowers receive a smaller loan than they requested. We use two measures of Type 1 credit rationing to examine whether it is related to gender discrimination in lending. Our results show that women business owners are not likely to be Type 1 rationed. However, newer female-owned firms receive significantly lower loan amounts than requested compared to their male-owned counterparts. We also find that less experienced women receive significantly lower loan amounts compared to less experienced men.

Keywords

• small business finances
• women entrepreneurs
• female-owned businesses
• perceptions of gender discrimination