Gender Variance and the Performance of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Nigeria

Abstract

Small and medium scale industries usually tend to develop and grow into medium and large scale industries. This form of growth yields to the development of the economy. However, thesuccess of SMEs depends on the effort of the entrepreneurs through concerted effort of financing and effective managerial skills. This study tries to determine between men and women who perform better in business success. The study collected data from 204 entrepreneurs and tested the variation between men and women, with difference of two-means. The result revealed that there is no  difference between men and women in the performance of business in  Nigeria. The study recommended that in negative perception of women managerial and leadership role and government should empower women through  implementable policies that will disabuse the negative perception of women in business.

Key words: SMEs, variation, performance, gender