Supporting Female Entrepreneurs During a Pandemic: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Ghana

The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has potentially large negative impacts on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. Female entrepreneurs of SMEs are especially vulnerable compared to their male counterparts as they are more likely to have smaller professional networks, capital constraints, and limited knowledge of regulations or policies that can help protect their business during this challenging time (Jayachandran, 2020). Moreover, due to the closures of schools and daycares, female entrepreneurs may now face increased family responsibilities (Alon et al. 2020) .