Center Publication

Fact of the Week, December 25, 2000

Center for Women’s Business Research

July - December 2000

High net worth women business owners are more philanthropic than their male counterparts. Half (50%) of women with assets of $1 million or more contribute at least $10,000 annually to charity compared to 40% of men entrepreneurs. While women and men business owners with high net worth each volunteer an average of about 16 hours a month, women are more likely than men to serve in leadership positions with charitable organizations.

From Leaders in Business and Community: The Philanthropic Contributions of Women and Men Business Owners, © NFWBO 2000, underwritten by Merrill Lynch

Fact of the Week, December 18, 2000

There are large differences between the way women and men entrepreneurs in Argentina finance their businesses. For women, the most used sources of financing are private sources (30%), business earnings (27%), credit cards (12%), and business/commercial bank loans (10%). For the men, the main sources are business/commercial bank loans (26%), private sources (21%), and business earnings (11%).

From Women Business Owners in Argentina: A Source of Economic Growth, 2000, prepared by Instituto APOYO in collaboration with CIPE, IBM, and NFWBO

Fact of the Week, December 11, 2000

Three-fourths (76%) of both women and men business owners make monetary contributions to charitable organizations through their businesses. A majority (53%) of both women and men entrepreneurs say that their business philanthropy is mostly related to being socially responsible; only about 10% say that their business philanthropy is primarily with the expectation of an economic return.

Fact of the Week, December 4, 2000

In 2000, about half (54%) of Latina business owners have bank credit; this is similar to women business owners in general, 52% of whom had a current loan or line of credit in 1998. The share of Latina business owners who carry a current line of credit remains relatively unchanged since 1998.

From The Spirit of Enterprise: Latina Entrepreneurs in the United States, © NFWBO 2000, underwritten by Wells Fargo

Fact of the Week, November 27, 2000

Business owners are not concerned with garnering recognition for their philanthropy; 55% of women and 68% of men business owners say that they would prefer not to be recognized for their philanthropy. However, approximately half of those surveyed say that it is important to be a role model and to show leadership in philanthropy for others.

Fact of the Week, November 20, 2000

Women business owners are more likely than men business owners to participate in leadership roles when they volunteer for charitable organizations: 46% of women compared to 29% of men very frequently serve on a board; 34% of women compared to 25% of men very frequently help plan a special event or fundraiser.

Fact of the Week, November 13, 2000

Women and men business owners surpass the general population in their level of involvement in philanthropy: 92% of women and 88% of men business owners contribute to charities, compared to 70% of all U.S. households. In addition, over two thirds (68% of women and 72% of men) of business owners volunteer their time at least once a month, compared to 62% of adult women and 50% of adult men.

Fact of the Week, November 6, 2000

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the Latina entrepreneurs surveyed use both English and Spanish in their business activities. Just over half (54%) of Latina entrepreneurs consider English their first language, 37% indicate that Spanish is their primary language, while at least 7% say they speak both languages equally.

Fact of the Week, October 30, 2000

Institutional investors perceive no difference in the quality of equity investment proposals or presentations from women-owned businesses compared to other companies. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of the investors interviewed say the proposals they consider from women-owned companies are no different from those of other companies, and similarly, 80% of the investors say the presentations by women entrepreneurs are the same as those typically seen from other companies.

From Women Entrepreneurs in the Equity Capital Markets: The New Frontier, © NFWBO 2000, underwritten by Wells Fargo

Fact of the Week, October 23, 2000

Women business owners, regardless of industry, employ women at somewhat higher rates than the national average and by significantly higher rates than do men, who fall below the national average in most industries. In wholesale and retail trade, women business owners employ women at a rate 11% greater than the national average, and 20% greater than men business owners.

From Business Owners and Gender Equity in the Workplace, © NFWBO 2000

Fact of the Week, October 16, 2000

The most significant obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs when they first become involved in Federal contracting are dealing with the paperwork (20%), understanding the process (20%), and complying with requirements (17%). Just 12% of the women say they encountered no problems or obstacles when they first became involved in Federal contracting.

From Women-Owned Firms in Federal Procurement: A National Survey, © NFWBO 2000, prepared for the National Women’s Business Council

Fact of the Week, October 9, 2000

Latinas are more likely to describe their businesses as family-run than are women from other ethnic and racial groups. Fully 75% say that members of their immediate family (spouse, children, or parents) are involved in the operation of their business. This is a higher share than firms owned by women of other ethnic backgrounds: 55% Black, 64% Asian, 66% Native American, 71% Caucasian.

Fact of the Week, October 2, 2000

Businesses owned by Latinas are one of the fastest-growing segments among women-owned businesses. Furthermore, two-thirds (65%) were born in the United States, and one-third (34%) are immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for an average of 30 years.

Fact of the Week, September 26, 2000

Latina-owned firms are an integral part of the fabric of business in the United States. Those surveyed have owned their businesses for an average of 12 years. Many more own firms in construction (10%); accounting, engineering and other professional services (10%); and manufacturing (9%) than in businesses such as hotels, restaurants and bars (4%).

Fact of the Week, September 18, 2000

Among the women business owners surveyed — women who were either in industries of greatest interest to equity investors, located in states of greatest venture capital activity, or who exhibited solid revenue growth over the past three years — just 6% have obtained equity capital and an additional 4% are seeking or had sought equity in the past.

Fact of the Week, September 11, 2000

While women business owners overall employ roughly half women and half men, these rates vary by industry. For example, the workforce of women business owners in goods-producing industries (such as agriculture/forestry, mining, construction, and manufacturing) is just 30% female. In personal services, on the other hand, women employees account for 76% of the workforce in women-owned firms.

Fact of the Week, September 4, 2000

Over the past three years, 72% of the institutional equity investors surveyed say they have considered investing in women-owned firms, and 45% report making an investment. Over the past year, 64% say they have considered investing in a women-owned firms, and 38% have made an investment.

Fact of the Week, August 28, 2000

The gender composition of the workforce employed by women and men business owners shows significant differences. In total, women business owners employ roughly half women (52%) and half men (48%). Men business owners, on the other hand, employ only 38% women and 62% men workers, on average.

Fact of the Week, August 21, 2000

Women business owners in Argentina are more optimistic than their male counterparts about the economic prospects in their own businesses in the coming two years. Among women, 58% are optimistic, 15% are neutral, and 26% are pessimistic. Among men, 33% are optimistic, 33% are neutral, and 31% are pessimistic.

From Women and Men Business Owners in Argentina: Study Highlights, 2000, published by CIPE, IBM, NFWBO, and Instituto APOYO

Fact of the Week, August 14, 2000

Three-quarters (77%) of men business owners and just under half (48%) of women business owners in Argentina use computers in their businesses, and men business owners are somewhat more likely to be active users of the Internet. However, women and men-owned firms are equally likely (23% women, 21% men) to have a web site for their business.

Fact of the Week, August 7, 2000

The women entrepreneurs entering the equity markets, including venture capital and private investment, are a newer type of entrepreneur. Compared to women business owners at large, women entrepreneurs with equity capital own businesses that are newer, and the women themselves are younger in age, more highly educated, and more likely to have been in senior management or executive positions just prior to business ownership.

Fact of the Week, July 31, 2000

The presence of women in decision-making roles in institutional equity investment firms is making a difference for women business owners. Two-thirds of the women investors (67%) surveyed say they have made an investment in women-owned firms in the past three years, compared with only 40% of the men investors.

Fact of the Week, July 24, 2000

Though women business owners are moving into the equity capital markets, women-owned firms remain a virtually untapped market. Women-owned firms represent only 9% of all institutional investment deals and only 2.3% of all institutional investment dollars among the equity investors surveyed by NFWBO.

Fact of the Week, July 17, 2000

Women entrepreneurs are tapping into the equity markets, including venture capital and private investment. This is a new phenomenon: 65% of women interviewed with equity capital received their first equity investment in the past four years; furthermore, 44% of the equity investors interviewed say that, over the past year, they have seen an increase in proposals from women-owned firms.

Fact of the Week, July 10, 2000

Among women of color who reported that they felt that a glass ceiling was preventing them from advancing any further in their careers, the most prominent elements of that glass ceiling were that their contributions were not being recognized or valued; they were not taken seriously by their employer; and they saw others promoted ahead of them.

Fact of the Week, July 3, 2000

Both women business owners and women employees like to comparison shop prior to purchasing: 44% of women business owners and 39% of women employees say that they comparison shop. However, while 38% of women employees say that they “love going shopping,” just 27% of women business owners say that the statement describes them.

From Women Business Owners as Consumers: Transforming the Marketplace, © NFWBO 1999, underwritten by AT&T and the Principal Financial Group

Citation

Center for Women’s Business Research. “Fact of the Week, December 25, 2000.” Washington, DC.

Research Summaries by Date · Sitemap