Gender differences in bank loan access.

Traditionally female entrepreneurs report difficulties or higher costs in accessing bank credit. These difficulties can be either the result of supply side discrimination, or the lower profitability of female-owned firms than male-owned ones. This paper aims at analyzing gender differences in bank loan access by means of a large dataset on firms’ lines of credit provided by four Italian banks over the period 2005-2008. Estimates show that, after controlling for loan, firm and bank characteristics, female-owned firms: (a) experience a higher probability of having to pledge guarantees than male-owned firms; (b) have a lower probability of access to credit.