The Influence of Demographic Factors on Performance of Selected Women owned Micro and Small-scale Enterprises (MSEs) in Kibera Division, Nairobi.

Abstract

This study assessesed how demographic factors affect the performance of women owned enterprises in Kibera slums. The following were the study objectives: To determine how differences in education levels of women entrepreneurs affect performance of their enterprises, to determine the effect of family size on performance of women owned enterprises, to determine the effect of different ages on performance of women owned enterprises, to determine the effect of marital status on performance of women owned enterprises, and to determine the effect of previous occupation on performance of women owned enterprises The design employed to meet the objectives was the survey method used to capture first hand information on demographic factors. The instruments of data collection used were questionnaires, which were administered by the researcher to the respondents. Observation was done to check on the general performance of the enterprises. The results show that previous occupation has no significant effect on performance of women owned enterprises. A large family size has a negative effect on business performance but that marital status, education, and age have positive influences on business performance of women owned enterprises. The results also show cross relationships among the demographic variables. The study concludes that efforts to address the problem of women's less remunerative enterprises should focus on improving their access to education as one of the important factors for improving their human capital.