Title: The system of business financing in Russia: the gender aspect

Authors: Elena V. Kapustkina

Addresses: Ul. Smolnogo 1/3, Entrance 9, Faculty of Sociology, Saint-Petersburg State University, 193060 Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to determine the role of the gender factor in the process of financing entrepreneurial activity in Russia. Firstly, this paper examines the contemporary system of offering loans to businesses, in particular, the possibilities offered and requirements of the main financial institutions and private investors. Factors in determining the credit policies of banks have also been discovered along with the advantages of using alternative sources of business financing. With regard to the gender component of credit policies, our respondents felt that its presence was not very visible, as it is |veiled| by such factors as size of the enterprise, amount of the demanded loan and the gender affiliation of bank executives. With regard to borrowers, their gender affiliation is one of the factors which determine borrowing behaviour, along with the motivation for developing a business, inclination towards taking risks, specifics of their educational background and their age.

Keywords: gender; loan offers; Russia; private investors; banks; borrowing behaviour; business financing; credit policies; entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2008.017305

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2008 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.297 - 317

Published online: 24 Feb 2008 *

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