Women in international business

Introduction

Women-owned firms worldwide now constitute more than one third of all entrepreneurial activity. The reasons are diverse, ranging from the absence of other choices in some low- and middle-income countries—as reported by half of these entrepreneurs, perhaps because of reduced access to labor markets and lower levels of education—to those observed in middle- and high-income nations where women have a higher level of education, greater access to resources, and high self-efficacy, factors that contribute to their ability to survive and thrive in their businesses as do men (Hopkins, 516).

Discussion

Among the reasons women in the middle- and high-income nations start businesses are the changes in the economic and corporate environments similar to those seen in the United States, new definitions of success among women, the search for balance between work and family commitments, growing opportunities, and the waves of rapid technological, social, and economic change that influence organizations and require individuals to customize their careers. International studies of women business owners highlight three broad groups: “Nascent,” those who have committed resources or have started a business; “New,” those who paid salaries for more than 3 months but less than 42 months; and “Established,” those who own and manage a business that has been in operation for more than 42 months (Cornet, 157).

Researchers also note that while the increase in the numbers of entrepreneurial women varies across nations, growth is higher in middle-income than in high-income countries. The difference can be attributed to the fact that in areas of the world where educational levels are lower, women's entrepreneurial activity can be driven by necessity. In the high-income countries, by contrast, where new women-owned firms show a shift toward business services, opportunity is the motivational force. As in the United States, women in high- or middle-income clusters who are already employed have the option to start a business because of their access to education, resources, social capital, and opportunities in the consumer-oriented sector.

Recently, interest in women business owners around the world has increased markedly, and a variety of supporting organizations have come into existence. These diverse groups include the Italian Committee of Enterprising Women, the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, two national groups in Spain, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, and the efforts of leaders in countries as different as Latvia, Syria, the United Kingdom, and Finland. Major international organizations include the Eurochambres Women Network, which ...