WHAT ABOUT THE WOMEN? RAISING THE PROFILE OF FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS

The role of entrepreneurs has been raised within education circles (Davies, 2002), is covered in the media and is one of the focal points of the current government (Nicholson, 1998). Does this profile-raising of entrepreneurs cover all entrepreneurs or only a section? This paper sets out to investigate female entrepreneurship. Could it be that only men are born with the entrepreneurial drive and Ms Roddick is a genetic exception; or could it be that entrepreneurs are made, but women do not fit the mould? According to the song, “behind every great man, there has to be a great woman” (Lennox, 1985), are then potential female entrepreneurs suppressing their drive in order to support their husbands’ careers? Or are the “sisters doin’ it for themselves” (Lennox, 1985) but just not being recognised for doing so? This paper is not intended as a feminist diatribe, nor a veneration of ‘girl power’, but it does set out to investigate the potential for female entrepreneurship, together with its’ incidence in wider society. Reflecting upon current theoretical perspectives regarding entrepreneurial creation and/or development, the existence and opportunities for female entrepreneurs are investigated. A disparity was identified between that of US and UK women entrepreneurs, citing clear differences between recognition and typology of male and female entrepreneurs (McManus, 2000), although a distinct lack of empirical evidence exists regarding female entrepreneurship. Gender differences alone did not explain the reasons for differing rates of entrepreneurship, nor did the existence of a ‘glass ceiling’ (Fryer, 1997) or other discriminatory factors (Brindley and Ritchie, 1999). In addition, differences between male and female entrepreneurs were highlighted (Deakins, 1999) which agreed with the work by Cromie and Hayes (1988). As such, the recommendations of this paper are for a greater empirical analysis of female entrepreneurs incorporating all of Rees’ 1992 definitions due to the gender differences which exist. In addition, a strategy for the raising of the recognition of female entrepreneurs in wider society is proposed within the paper – identifying the need and potential routes for the amplified recognition of female entrepreneurs. This aims to ‘break’ some of the panes of both the glass ceiling and the ‘greenhouse’ which provides the pressure on recognised female entrepreneurs.