Gendered Impacts of Entrepreneurial Mindset Training in Kenya

Policy Context

Kenya faces continued disparities in poverty rates between rural and urban areas, with 40.7% of the rural population facing poverty compared to 34.1% of the urban population. Poverty has a pronounced impact on women, with female-headed households showing a poverty headcount rate of 38.8% compared to 32.7% of male-headed households in Kenya. This trend is magnified in rural areas, where female-headed households face the highest poverty rate at 42.5%. Microenterprises have become a popular route for women to earn a living. However, microentrepreneurs’ emphasis on fulfilling their basic needs and sustaining their livelihoods restricts microenterprises’ potential for growth. This study aims to better understand the degree to which personal initiative training – an evidence-based model of psychological entrepreneurship training – can empower female microentrepreneurs compared to their male counterparts within this environment of rural women facing disproportionately high poverty rates.

Study Design

This study will evaluate the impact of personal initiative training delivered in a hybrid model to female and male microentrepreneurs operating agro-based businesses in rural areas of Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The research team will randomly select 92 participants (46 males and 46 females) to participate in the study. One group (evenly split by gender) will participate in an eight-week personal initiative training with three hours of instruction per week, half delivered in person and half delivered through live Zoom sessions. Another group (evenly split by gender) will not receive any treatment. The research team will investigate the impacts of the intervention on the microentrepreneurs’ sales, profits, and business practices through a gender lens.

Results and Policy Lessons:

Results forthcoming.