Does Gender Influence COVID-19's Impact on Small Business in the South?

The effects of COVID-19 on small business in Israel is dramatic. A pioneering survey conducted by Sapir faculty has discovered that gender plays a significant role in determining the magnitude of these effects. 

Dr. Ohad Shaked, a lecturer at Sapir's Technological Marketing Department, presented his preliminary research at a virtual conference organized by the College’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for students and entrepreneurs from the western Negev. Shaked surveyed 152 small and micro businesses, the majority located in the Negev; 47 owned by men and 105 by women. Focusing on gender issues, resilience, use of management and digital tools, and entrepreneurship in the periphery, his survey found that small businesses owned by women were facing greater difficulties during COVID-19. 

Shaked's investigation found that male owned enterprises are generally larger and employ more workers, two factors that may contribute to increased resilience. Women entrepreneurs, meanwhile, operate smaller businesses with less employees. They are also more likely to have the ongoing responsibility for childcare−particularly acute in the pandemic due to the scarcity of childcare options during the various lockdowns. 

The playing field, uneven in the best of times, puts women at even greater risk of business failure due to the pandemic. These findings could have significant implications for public policy.