Abstract
An empirical investigation was undertaken into entrepreneurial gender effects within the inner-city street-trading context of Johannesburg, a large South African city. A cross-sectional non-parametric quantitative research design was applied in each of three consecutive years, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and a longitudinal investigation was enabled. Differences in earnings, rental stand operation, and the effects of specific and general human capital by gender were tested using non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis methods. Further testing of the non-parametric associations of each factor by gender was undertaken using non-parametric Spearman rho and Kendall tau measures. Male traders are found to earn more. However, a return on specific and general human capital is found for female traders. Security threats in this context might have a disproportionate effect on female street traders, and most specifically on female street traders of foreign origin.