Research in economics, ethnicity and gender: a comparative study on black female-owned and black male-owned business enterprises

African American-owned (Black) businesses are unique and have qualities that drive their market behavior and profitability. The purpose of this study is to examine market behavior and economic differences between Black female-owned business enterprises (BFO) with Black male-owned business enterprises (BMO). The objective of this study is two-fold: (a) build on the prior research on BBEs; and (b) continue prior research on small business enterprises (SME). This study examined two significant economic factors: endogenous variables and exogenous variables. Two independent studies were conducted on a sample (N = 102) of BBEs across 11 industries. Two data collection instruments were used: The Entrepreneurial Risk Survey (ERS) and Entrepreneurial Risk Assessment Scale (ERAS). Three statistical analyses were conducted: A One-Way ANOVA and independent sample t-Test were conducted to determine if there were any significant differences between the BFOs and BMOs; lastly another ANOVA was used to measure customer turnover to determine profitability levels and significance. The results of the study indicated there were no significant differences between BFOs and BMOs in terms of economic factors.