Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Vol. 7 No. 4 (2021)
December 2021

Articles

Growing inequalities in the Covid-19 pandemic and their effect on women entrepreneurship: A case of Vietnam

https://doi.org/10.15678/IER.2021.0704.05

Published 2021-12-01

  • Greeni Maheshwari
    • ,
  • Anika Maheshwari

Greeni Maheshwari
RMIT University

Anika Maheshwari
RMIT University

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to provide a general overview regarding the increased inequality due to Covid-19 in various areas and this all had an integrated effect on women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the globe and in Vietnam.

Research Design & Methods: The data is collected using various research papers and the reports accessing the inequalities across the world and in Vietnam. The methodology used is compiling the various reports to provide general overview as how Covid-19 has fuelled existing inequalities and providing overview of the situation the women-owned SMEs are facing in this challenging time of pandemic.

Findings: The results from the study suggest that the inequalities in various areas have increased such as inequality between and within different countries, employment sector inequalities, gender inequalities, educational inequalities, age-related inequalities and all these has created a wider gap between the barriers faced by men and women across the globe. The women-owned SMEs has found to have the higher challenges in Vietnam as compared to men-owned SMEs.

Implications & Recommendations: The current literature identified the increasing inequalities of women in various countries and particular in SMEs in Vietnam. There are several studies conducted in developed countries to determine the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, but there is dearth of studies conducted in Vietnam, especially to study the effect of Covid-19 on the women entrepreneurs. It is important to conduct this kind of study in Vietnam on women SMEs to study the impact of Covid-19 to understand the barriers the women might have faced and how the government can provide the appropriate support to women entrepreneurs in the future which further can help in empowering the women in Vietnam and helping the economy to grow.

Contribution & Value Added: This paper provides the general overview of increased inequalities in various areas and in particular women-owned SMEs in Vietnam which is not summarized in earlier studies conducted in Vietnam and hence this study aims to contribute to fill this gap in the literature and provided an avenue for the future research.

Keywords

Covid-19, inequalities, women-owned SMEs, economic impact, entrepreneurship, Vietnam

(PDF) Save

Author Biography

Greeni Maheshwari

Lecturer at RMIT Vietnam in School of Business and Management since February 2008. She completed Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) in Global Business and Leadership from California, USA. She teaches and coordinates quantitative courses like Business Statistics, Quantitative Analysis, and Basic Econometrics. Greeni has been the recipient of “Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Innovation” in 2020, “Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Learning and Teaching: Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, Higher Education” in 2018, “Excellence in Teaching Award” in 2017 at RMIT University and “Award for excellence in Learning and Teaching” in 2016 at RMIT University, Vietnam. She has been awarded two gold medals during the engineering studies. Greeni is the Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA) received in 2018 and Senior Fellow of Higher Education (SFHEA) received in 2020 from the Higher Education Academy, UK. Her research interest lies in leadership, educational and finance related topics.

Anika Maheshwari

Student at an international high school in Vietnam. A scholarship winner in IGCSE results. She holds a deep interest in economics and business issues and would like to start the university career in economics and business degree

References

  1. BBC News (2020). Covid: ‘A fifth’ of hospitality sector jobs lost in 2020. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54972940on 24 October 2021.
  2. Bilan, Y., Mishchuk, H., Samoliuk, N., &Mishchuk, V. (2020). Gender discrimination and its links with compensations and benefits practices in enterprises. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 8(3), 189-203.
  3. Blanchard, O. J., & Summers, L. H. (1986). Hysteresis and the European unemployment problem. NBER macroeconomics annual, 1, 15-78.
  4. Carvalho, L., &Rezai, A. (2016). Personal income inequality and aggregate demand. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 40(2), 491-505.
  5. Corak, M. (2013). Income inequality, equality of opportunity, and intergenerational mobility. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 27(3), 79-102.
  6. Dabla-Norris, M. E., Kochhar, M. K., Suphaphiphat, M. N., Ricka, M. F., &Tsounta, M. E. (2015). Causes and consequences of income inequality: A global perspective. International Monetary Fund.
  7. Dasgupta, S., &Emmerling, J. (2021). COVID-19 lockdown led to an unprecedented increase in inequality. Research Square Online. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-191155/v1
  8. Datta, P.B., & Gailey, R. (2012). Empowering women through social entrepreneurship: case study of a women’s cooperative in India.Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 36(3), 569-587.
  9. Eddleston, K.A.,& Powell, G.N. (2008). The role of gender identity in explaining sex differences in business owners’ career satisfier preferences.Journal of Business Venturing, 23(2), 244-256.
  10. Fisher, A. N., & Ryan, M. K. (2021). Gender inequalities during COVID-19. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24(2), 237-245.
  11. Fowler Jr, F. J. (2013). Survey research methods. Sage Publications.
  12. France 24 (2021). Amid pandemic, Americans are saving more – especially the wealthy. Retrieved from https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210305-amid-pandemic-americans-are-savingmore-especially-the-wealthyon 21 October 2021.
  13. Fuchs-Schündeln, N., Krueger, D., Ludwig, A., & Popova, I. (2020). The long-term distributional and welfare effects of Covid-19 school closures (No. w27773). National Bureau of Economic Research.
  14. Gent, E. (2020). What remote jobs tell us about inequality? BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200921-what-remote-jobs-tell-us-about-inequalityon 15 October 2021.
  15. Gould, E &Kassa, M. (2020). Young workers hit hard by the COVID-19 economy. Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved from https://www.epi.org/publication/young-workers-covid-recession/on 15 September 2021.
  16. Harvey, D.I., Kellard, N.M., Madsen, J.B., & Wohar, M.E. (2010). The Prebisch–Singer hypothesis: four centuries of evidence. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 92(2), 367-377. https://doi.org/10.1162/rest.2010.12184
  17. Hill, R. & Narayan, A. (2021). What Covid-19 can mean long term. World Bank Blogs. Retrieved from https://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/what-covid-19can-mean-long-term-inequality-developing-countrieson 24 October 2021.
  18. Ingraham, C. (2018). How rising inequality hurts everyone, even the rich. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/06/how-rising-inequality-hurtseveryone-even-the-rich/on 24 October 2021.
  19. ILO. (2020a). COVID-19 crisis and the informal economy: Immediate responses and policy challenges. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/travail/documents/briefingnote/wcms_743623.pdfon 24 October 2021.
  20. ILO (2020b). COVID-19 and the labour market in Viet Nam. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-hanoi/documents/briefingnote/wcms_742134.pdf on 10 October 2021.
  21. Itani, H., Sidani, Y.M., &Baalbaki, I. (2011).United Arab Emirates female entrepreneurs: motivations and frustrations.Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 30(5), 409-424.
  22. Jamali, D. (2009). Constraints and opportunities facing women entrepreneurs in developing countries: a relational perspective.Gender in Management: An International Journal, 24(4), 232-251.
  23. Jensen, L., & Molina, G.G. (2020). COVID-19 and health system vulnerabilities in the poorest developing countries. Transitions Series: UNDP Global Policy Network Brief July.
  24. Kinnunen, J., Georgescu, I., Hosseini, Z., &Androniceanu, A.-M. (2021). Dynamic indexing and clustering of government strategies to mitigate Covid-19. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 9(2), 7-20. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2021.090201
  25. Kothari, C.R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques. New Age International.
  26. Lund, S., Madgavkar, A., Manyika, J., Smit, S., Ellingrud, K., Meaney, M., & Robinson, O. (2021). The future of work after COVID-19. McKinsey Global Institute, 18. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-after-covid19# on 24 October 2021.
  27. Maheshwari, G. (2021). A review of literature on women’s leadership in higher education in developed countries and in Vietnam: Barriers and enablers. Educational Management Administration & Leadership ¬ - online first. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211021418
  28. Marjański, A., & Sułkowski, Ł. (2021). Consolidation strategies of small family firms in Poland during Covid-19 crisis. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 9(2), 167-182. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2021.090211
  29. Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneur Report (2020). Retrieved from https://www.mastercard.com/news/research-reports/2020/mastercard-index-of-women-entrepreneurs-2020/on 24 October 2021.
  30. Minniti, M.,&Naudé, W. (2010). What do we know about the patterns and determinants of female entrepreneurship across countries?. The European Journal of Development Research, 22(3), 277-293.
  31. OECD (2014). Inequality hurts economic growth, finds OECD research. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/newsroom/inequality-hurts-economic-growth.htmon 24 October 2021.
  32. OECD (2021). Jobs must be at heart of recovery to avoid deep scars in economy and society, says OECD. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/newsroom/jobs-must-be-at-heart-of-recovery-to-avoid-deep-scars-in-economy-and-society-says-oecd.htm on 15 November 2021.
  33. Meyer, & Phelps, E. (1973). Inflation Policy and Unemployment Theory [Review of Inflation Policy and Unemployment Theory]. The Journal of Finance, 28(3), 777-780. American Journal of Finance. https://doi.org/10.2307/2978658
  34. Ng, K. S., & Fu, P. P. (2018). Factors driving foreign women entrepreneurship in China. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 6(4), 49.
  35. Scott, J. (2020). What risks does COVID-19 pose to society in the long term? World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/what-risks-does-covid-19-pose-to-society-in-thelong-term/ on 24 October 2021.
  36. Sostero, M., Milasi, S., Hurley, J., Fernandez-Macias, E., &Bisello, M. (2020). Teleworkability and the COVID-19 crisis: a new digital divide? (No. 2020/05). JRC Working Papers Series on Labour, Education and Technology.
  37. Szostak, M., & Sułkowski, Ł. (2021). Identity crisis of artists during the Covid-19 pandemic and shift towards entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 9(3), 87-102. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2021.090306
  38. The Conversation (2016). Why inequality is the most important economic challenge facing the next president. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/why-inequality-is-the-mostimportant-economic-challenge-facing-the-next-president-66806 on 24 October 2021.
  39. World Bank. (2020a). COVID-19 to Add as Many as 150 Million Extreme Poor by 2021. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/10/07/covid-19-to-addas-many-as-150-million-extreme-poor-by-2021
  40. World Bank. (2020b). World Bank Predicts Sharpest Decline of Remittances in Recent History. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/04/22/world-bankpredicts-sharpest-decline-of-remittances-in-recent-history
  41. Tongco, M.D.C. (2007). Purposive sampling as a tool for informant selection. Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 5, 147-158
  42. Trang, D.T., Ha, N.T., & Trang, N.T. (2020). Study on the barriers to social enterprise growth in Vietnam. Contemporary Issues in Innovation and Management, 81.
  43. Tyson, L., & Lund, S. (2021). The Post-Pandemic Labor Market’s Long-Term Scars. Project Syndicate. Retrieved from https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/pandemic-permanent-job-losses-need-workerretraining-by-laura-tyson-and-susan-lund-202103#:~:text=BERKELEY%20%E2%80%93%20Thanks%20to%20the%20rapid,economic%20a ctivity%20are%20being%20easedon 24 October 2021.
  44. UNCTAD (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade and development. Retrieved from https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/osg2020d1_en.pdf on 24 October 2021.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.