Abstract:
This paper tries to address the problems faced by women entrepreneurs in establishing and
managing their small business enterprises. Comparison is male between female and male
entrepreneurs. It has tried to give some empirical evidences on the importance of small
business enterprises in developing countries including Tanzania. It has further shown that
female entrepreneurs are increasing in these countries. The increase in number of small
business enterprises and particularly those which are owned by female entrepreneurs is partly
accounted for by the structural adjustment programmes that were implemented in these
countries between the second half of 1980s and the first half of 1990s that necessitated
reduction in government expenditures. Consequently, there were retrenchments of
government employees, cutting free public services such as medical services, education etc.
Establishment and management of small business enterprises is therefore very important
because it provides services that were previously being rendered by the governments in these
countries. However, there are gender differentiation between small business enterprises owned
by male and those which are owned by female entrepreneurs.
