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8. Coleman, S. and R. Cohn, (1999) « Small Firm Use of Leverage : A Comparison of Men and Women-Owned Firms », Conference Proceedings, United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, San Diego, January 14-17. Abstract Prior research and anecdotal evidence suggests that women-owned small businesses use less debt than men. This study uses data from a nationwide sample of small businesses to determine differences in leverage between men and women-owned firms. Findings reveal that the primary determinants of leverage are firm size, firm age, and profitability. There were no significant differences in the usage of debt between men and women, and gender was not a significant predictor of financial leverage. Introduction Small businesses in the United States are widely recognized as a principal source of economic growth, new jobs, and new products and services. Access to capital is a frequently cited problem, however, and sources of capital are more limited for small firms that for large ones. Traditional capital structure theory as developed by Modigliani & Miller (1958) holds that firms will select the mix of debt and equity that maximizes the value of th