A recent Wall Street Journal piece addressed the rapid growth of women-owned business -- they have started twice the amount of businesses as men and their growth has swelled during one of the bleakest economic times in America's history.
Yet, the article quickly qualifies that information, "So, it is dismaying to see that, despite all this progress, on average, women-owned business are still small compared with businesses owned by men. And while the gap has narrowed, as of 2008—the latest year for which numbers are available—the average revenues of majority women-owned businesses were still only 27% of the average of majority men-owned businesses."
Interesting, isn't it? What do you think causes this disparity?
Some will say women don't have the 'killer instinct' men do when it comes to making deals or that, by nature, they're too empathetic to make the difficult decisions necessary for businesses to shed extra weight and sauced. Do you buy that explanation? I certainly don't and it truly has nothing to do with my being a woman :)
The WSJ writer, who happens to be a woman herself, offers this explanation.
"I am convinced that the problem is twofold. First, you have women's own self-limiting views of themselves, their businesses and the opportunities available to them. But equally problematic are the stereotypes, perceptions and expectations of business and government leaders."
Now, I'm not sure I buy the first reason. Most of the women I talk with and read who are in business have no different view of themselves or their operations than the men whose brains I pick. I believe to most women, business is business and their differences they see as advantages or differing perspectives, nothing more. I also think most women business owners have ambitious goals, my reasoning being that a woman who desires to start and run their own business is already shedding years of stereotypes and taking on a world they know is dominated by the other sex. If anything, I think these women may even be more ambitious than many men, most of whom are expected to work in the professional world and who are seen in traditional roles of management.
However, I think her latter explanation, that of stereotypes in business and government makes much more sense. The article asserts that training available for women entrepreneurs, such as courses at community colleges etc. is far more focused on the initial phases of beginning an operation and often leaves out planning for growth or making projections for the future.
She also asserts that women have less access to funds and capital -- I could see this holding true. This can cause entry into markets that are cheaper to get into but more difficult to remain in, let alone grow. Seeing a theme here? It's all about growth. You have to envision it, build plans around it. It has to be a fame of mind. Women may be cheated out of the opportunity to grow because of our preconceived notions of how we believe they will do, never giving them a chance to show us what they believe they're capable of.
What do you think contributes to these stereotypes and how can we break them?
Yet, the article quickly qualifies that information, "So, it is dismaying to see that, despite all this progress, on average, women-owned business are still small compared with businesses owned by men. And while the gap has narrowed, as of 2008—the latest year for which numbers are available—the average revenues of majority women-owned businesses were still only 27% of the average of majority men-owned businesses."
Interesting, isn't it? What do you think causes this disparity?
Some will say women don't have the 'killer instinct' men do when it comes to making deals or that, by nature, they're too empathetic to make the difficult decisions necessary for businesses to shed extra weight and sauced. Do you buy that explanation? I certainly don't and it truly has nothing to do with my being a woman :)
The WSJ writer, who happens to be a woman herself, offers this explanation.
"I am convinced that the problem is twofold. First, you have women's own self-limiting views of themselves, their businesses and the opportunities available to them. But equally problematic are the stereotypes, perceptions and expectations of business and government leaders."
Now, I'm not sure I buy the first reason. Most of the women I talk with and read who are in business have no different view of themselves or their operations than the men whose brains I pick. I believe to most women, business is business and their differences they see as advantages or differing perspectives, nothing more. I also think most women business owners have ambitious goals, my reasoning being that a woman who desires to start and run their own business is already shedding years of stereotypes and taking on a world they know is dominated by the other sex. If anything, I think these women may even be more ambitious than many men, most of whom are expected to work in the professional world and who are seen in traditional roles of management.
However, I think her latter explanation, that of stereotypes in business and government makes much more sense. The article asserts that training available for women entrepreneurs, such as courses at community colleges etc. is far more focused on the initial phases of beginning an operation and often leaves out planning for growth or making projections for the future.
She also asserts that women have less access to funds and capital -- I could see this holding true. This can cause entry into markets that are cheaper to get into but more difficult to remain in, let alone grow. Seeing a theme here? It's all about growth. You have to envision it, build plans around it. It has to be a fame of mind. Women may be cheated out of the opportunity to grow because of our preconceived notions of how we believe they will do, never giving them a chance to show us what they believe they're capable of.
What do you think contributes to these stereotypes and how can we break them?
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