Determining the applicability of feminist theories by examining the mediation and moderation effects on non‐economic performance in Lao micro, small, and medium‐sized enterprises

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the applicability of social feminist theory (SFT) and liberal feminist theory (LFT) to Lao micro, small, and medium‐sized enterprises (MSMEs) based on the results of mediation and moderation effects of the gender of entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of 200 MSMEs. Analysis is based, first, on factor analysis to extract important factors and, second, multiple linear regression is used to empirically validate the feminist theories by examining the mediation effects and moderation effects regarding gender of entrepreneurs. Findings – The findings showed that not all feminist‐related factors mediate the relationship between gender and non‐economic performance whereas the gender of entrepreneurs moderates personal, social network, and skills factors and non‐economic performance but not family factor. Lastly, the compilation of the mediation and moderation results revealed that SFT is more applicable than LFT to Lao MSMEs. Research limitations/implications – This research had some limitations such as the lack of empirical literature supporting non‐economic performance indicators. Therefore, the findings should not be generalized. Practical implications – This research provided implications for policymakers, implementers, and academics. The results showed that it is necessary to support female entrepreneurs in terms of the use of personal, social, and skills factors to improve non‐economic performance. However, it is not necessary to support family factor in improving endowments and changing their use. Governments must mitigate the gender gap at macro levels through the elimination of gender discrimination, such as in education, banking practice, and the workplace, to increase the long‐term confidence of females in society. Originality/value – The unique contribution of the study is to prove the applicability of SFT and LFT by quantitative analytical methodologies with focusing on non‐economic firm performance.