Finance-gender gap: Perceptions of access to finance for female entrepreneurs in Wales

Issues on gender, entrepreneurship, and access to finance have been identified as problematic in literature. Previous research on access to finance supports the existence of a gender gap within the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, with access to finance more difficult, particularly for female-owned SMEs. Literature highlights that the gap and disadvantages that women face do not arise as a result of women’s lack of ability. Instead, they arise due to complex and multidimensional constraints occurring as a result of the gender stereotypes of entrepreneurship(women are perceived as less capable entrepreneurs than men). This study draws from the social feminist theory and liberal feminist theory and uses semi-structured interviews to give  a‘voice’ to women in the investigation of women’s perceptions of their experience of seeking and successfully obtaining business finance for the creation, growth, and development of their small business in Wales.