|
Female entrepreneurs, also known as women entrepreneurs, encompass approximately 1/3 of all entrepreneurs worldwide.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.go4funding.com/Articles/Entrepreneur/Some-Facts-About-Women-Entrepreneurs.aspx )〕 == History == Before the 20th century, women operated businesses as a way of supplementing income. In many cases, they were trying to avoid poverty or replacing the income from the loss of a spouse. At the time, the ventures that these women undertook were not thought of as entrepreneurial. Many of them usually had to bow to their domestic responsibilities. The term entrepreneur is used to describe individuals who have ideas for products and/or services that they turn into a working business. In earlier times, this term was reserved for men.〔"From Ideas to Independence A Century of Entrepreneurial Women." Entrepreneurs.nwhm.org. N.p., n.d. Web.〕 Women became more involved in the business world only when the idea of women in business became palatable to the general public. However, this does not mean that there were no female entrepreneurs until that time. In the 17th century, Dutch Colonists who came to what is now known as New York City, operated under a matriarchal society. In this society, many women inherited money and lands and, through this inheritance, became business owners. One of the most successful women from this time was Margaret Hardenbrook Philipse, who was a merchant, ship owner, and was also involved in the trading of goods.〔Bostwick, Heleigh. "History's Top Women Entrepreneurs." LegalZoom: Online Legal Document Services: LLC, Wills, Incorporation, Divorce & More. N.p., March 2009. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.〕 During the mid 18th century, it was popular for women to own certain businesses like brothels, alehouses, taverns, and retail shops, among others. Most of these businesses were not perceived with good reputations because it was considered shameful for women to be in these positions. Society frowned upon women involved in such businesses because they detracted from the women's supposed gentle and frail nature. During the 18th and 19th centuries, more women came out from under the oppression of society’s limits and began to emerge into the public eye. Despite the frowns of society, women like Rebecca Lukens flourished. In 1825, Lukens took her family business of Ironworks and turned it into a profit-generating steel business. In the 1900s, due to a more progressive way of thinking, and the rise of feminism, female entrepreneurs began to be a widely accepted term and although these women entrepreneurs serviced mostly women consumers, they were making great strides. Women gained the right to vote in 1920, and two years later, Clara and Lillian Westropp started the institution of Women’s Savings & Loan as a way of teaching women how to be smart with their money. As each change in society happened, female entrepreneurs were there, becoming more influential. With the boom of the textile industry and the development of the railroad and telegraph system, women like Madame C. J. Walker took advantage of the changing times. Walker was able to market her hair care products in a successful way, becoming the 1st African American female millionaire. Carrie Crawford Smith was the owner of an employment agency opened in 1918 and, like Madame C. J. Walker, sought to provide help to many women by giving them opportunities to work. During the Great Depression some of the opportunities afforded to women took a backseat and society seemed to reverse its views, reverting to more traditional roles. This seemed to affect women working in business. However, it also served as a push to those involved in the entrepreneurial world. More women began starting their own businesses, looking to survive during this time of hardship. In 1938, Hattie Moseley Austin, who had begun to sell chicken and biscuits after her husband died, opened Hattie’s Chicken Shack in Saratoga Springs, NY. During WWII, many women entered the workforce, filling jobs that men had left behind. Women, of their own accord, took these jobs as a patriotic duty while others started businesses of their own. One of these women was Pauline Trigere, who came to New York from Paris in 1937 and started a tailoring business that later turned into a high-end fashion house. Another was Estee Lauder who was working on the idea for her beauty products which officially launched in 1946, a year after the war ended. When the war ended, many women still had to maintain their place in the business world because many of the men who returned were injured. The Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs were sources of encouragement to women entrepreneurs. They often would hold workshops with already established entrepreneurs, such as Elizabeth Arden, who would give advice. When the 1950s came, women found themselves surrounded by messages everywhere, stating what their role should be. Domesticity was the overall public concern and theme that was highly stressed during this time, and women had to juggle combined home responsibilities and their career. Home-based businesses helped to solve a good part of the problem for those women who worried about being mothers. Lillian Vernon, while pregnant with her first child, started her own business dealing with catalogs by investing money from wedding gifts and started filling orders right at her kitchen table. Mary Crowley founded Home Decorating and Interiors as a way of helping women to work from home by throwing parties to sell the products right in the comfort of their own home. In an effort to avoid criticism and lost business from those who did not support women in business, Bette Nesmith, who developed the product “Mistake Out," a liquid that painted over mistakes in typing, would sign her orders B. Smith so no one would know she was a female. From the 1960s to the late 1970s, another change came about when divorce rates rose and many women were forced back into the role of being the sole provider. This pushed them back into the working world, where they were not well received. When the recession hit, many of these women were the first to be without work. Once again, the entrepreneurial endeavors of women came to the rescue as an effort of asserting themselves and aiding other women in being a part of the workforce. Mary Kay Ash and Ruth Fertel of Ruth’s Chris Steak House were part of that movement. The 1980s and 1990s were a time of reaping the benefits from the hard work of women who worked tirelessly for their rightful place in the workforce as employees and entrepreneurs. Martha Stewart and Vera Bradley were among the 25 percent women who owned businesses. The public was also becoming more receptive and encouraging to these women entrepreneurs, acknowledging the valuable contribution they were making to the economy. The National Association of Women Business Owners helped to push Congress to pass ''The Women’s Business Ownership Act in 1988'', which would end discrimination in lending and also get rid of laws that required married women to acquire their husband’s signature for all loans. In addition, the Act also gave women-owned businesses a chance to compete for government contracts. Another monumental moment for women in business was the appointment of Susan Engeleiter as head of the Small Business Administration in 1989. In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, there was more of a focus on networking opportunities in the world of female entrepreneurs. There were many opportunities that came about to help those who were interested in starting up their own businesses. Support groups, organizations for educating the female entrepreneur, and other opportunities like seminars and help with financing came from many different sources, such as the Women’s Business Development Center and Count Me In. Despite all these advances, the female entrepreneurs still fell behind when compared to their male counterparts. As the 1990s came in, the availability of computers and the increasing popularity of the internet gave a much needed boost to women in business. This technology allowed them to be more prevalent in the business world and showcase their skills to their competitors. Even still, with the added popularity of women in business, the availability of technology, the support from different organizations, female entrepreneurs today are still fighting. The economic downturn of 2008 did not serve to help them in their quest. With the continual attention given to female entrepreneurs and the educational programs afforded to women who seek to start out with their own business ventures, there is much information and help available. Since 2000, there has been an increase in small and big ventures by women, including one of their biggest obstacles—financing. 〔"From Ideas to Independence: A Century of Entrepreneurial Women | National Womens' History Museum." From Ideas to Independence: A Century of Entrepreneurial Women | National Womens' History Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Female entrepreneur」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|