Center Publication

Fact of the Week, December 29, 1997

Center for Women’s Business Research

Copyright Notice

Women Business Owners.

July - December 1997

Among businesses with 10 or more employees, women business owners consult with a wider variety of sources more regularly than men business owners when making financial decisions. For example, 56% of women entrepreneurs regularly consult with an outside accountant, compared to 47% of men business owners; 48% of women, compared to 39% of men, rely on business magazines; 45% of women, compared to 36% of men, regularly consult a company board; and 36% of women, compared to 29% of men, gain frequent input from other business owners.

From Retirement Plan Trends in the Small Business Market: A Survey of Women- and Men-Owned Firms, NFWBO 1997

Fact of the Week, December 22, 1997

Among firms with 10 or more employees that have retirement plans, women-owned firms tend to offer a wider range of investment options to their employees. Nearly half (49%) of women-owned firms, compared to 41% of men-owned firms, offer their employees six or more different investment options or funds to choose from in their retirement plan.

Fact of the Week, December 15, 1997

When women and men business owners were asked how technology is helping their businesses, a higher percentage of women compared to men entrepreneurs indicated it was assisting them in: responding to customers (39% compared to 32%), speeding up product or service introductions (28% compared to 23%), and improving their marketing efforts (24% compared to 17%).

From Embracing the Information Age: A Comparison of Women and Men Business Owners, NFWBO 1997

Fact of the Week, December 8, 1997

Fully 54% of women-owned firms with 10 or more employees offer flextime or job sharing arrangements as an employee benefit, compared to 33% of men-owned firms.

Fact of the Week, December 1, 1997

While half (51%) of women-owned firms with 10 or more employees currently have no retirement plan, more are discussing the issues of retirement with an advisor (43% of women without plans compared to 25% of men) and more women intend to put a plan in place for their employees (37% of women compared to 31% of men-owned firms).

Fact of the Week, November 24, 1997

Among firms of 10 or more employees, women-owned firms are just as likely to offer retirement benefits to their qualified employees. Forty-nine percent (49%) of women-owned firms offer a retirement plan to their employees, compared to 54% of men-owned firms of 10 or more employees.

Fact of the Week, November 17, 1997

As of 1996, there were 382,400 Hispanic women-owned businesses in the United States, employing 671,200 people and generating $67.3 billion in sales. Between 1987 and 1996, the number of Hispanic women-owned firms increased by 206%, employment grew by 487%, and sales rose 534%.

From 1996 Facts on Women-Owned Businesses: Trends Among Minority Women-Owned Firms, NFWBO 1997

Fact of the Week, November 10, 1997

As of 1996, there were 405,200 Black women-owned businesses in the United States, employing 261,400 people and generating $24.7 billion in sales. Between 1987 and 1996, the number of Black women-owned firms increased by 135%, employment grew by 70%, and sales rose 55%.

Fact of the Week, November 3, 1997

As of 1996, there were 305,700 Asian/American Indian/Alaska Native women-owned businesses in the United States, employing 787,200 people and generating $95.2 billion in sales. Between 1987 and 1996, the number of Asian/Other women-owned firms increased by 138%, employment grew by 319%, and sales rose 430%.

Fact of the Week, October 27, 1997

There is no difference in level of education between women and men business owners. Most business owners (73%), female and male, have at least some college education. Ten percent (10%) have a graduate degree.

From Capital, Credit and Financing: Comparing Women and Men Business Owners’ Sources and Uses of Capital, NFWBO 1996

Fact of the Week, October 20, 1997

Women business owners are taking a more proactive approach than men business owners in adopting new technology and using the Internet to grow their businesses. Seventeen (17%) percent of women business owners, compared to 10% of men business owners, say that the most important reason for adopting technology is to explore new strategies for growth. Women business owners are more likely (46%) to report using technology on a regular basis and finding it helpful, compared to 41% of men business owners.

Fact of the Week, October 13, 1997

Women business owners increased their computer investments in the past year by 60% to $170.3 billion, and plan to invest an additional $67.2 billion in computer hardware and software in 1997.

From Embracing the Information Age: A Comparison of Woman and Men Business Owners, NFWBO 1997

Fact of the Week, October 6, 1997

Women business owners are exploring the Internet with greater zeal than men business owners. Forty-seven percent (47%) of women business owners currently subscribe to an online service, compared to 41% of men business owners. Also, the share of women business owners with a business home page has tripled since last year 23% now have a home page, compared to 16% of men business owners.

Fact of the Week, September 29, 1997

The greatest growth in the number of minority women-owned firms in recent years has been in non-traditional sectors. Between 1987 and 1996, the number of minority women-owned firms has grown by 319% in construction, 276% in wholesale trade, and 253% in transportation/communications/public utilities.

Fact of the Week, September 22, 1997

Women business owners are similar to men business owners in the way they do their business banking. Eighty-five percent (85%) of both women and men business owners do their business banking at a bank branch with a teller. One-third (34%) perform banking transactions over the telephone. Only 8% bank online and only 12% make deposits using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

Fact of the Week, September 15, 1997

The top 10 metropolitan areas for minority women-owned firms, based on an average ranking of the number of firms, employment and sales, are: Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; Washington, DC; Orange County, CA; San Francisco, CA; Oakland, CA; and Honolulu, HI.

Fact of the Week, September 8, 1997

Firms with 500 or more employees are actually the least likely to pay their bills on time, often owing to their market power. Fully 86% of all large businesses, and 77% of women-owned firms with 500 or more employees, usually pay their bills anywhere from 15 to 30 days late. Very few, however (2% of all large firms, 4% of women-owned large firms), pay their bills over 30 days late.

From Toward Equal Access: The Fiscal Strength and Creditworthiness of Women-Owned Enterprises, NFWBO 1995

Fact of the Week, September 1, 1997

Women and men business owners differ in how they obtain information about technology. Women place greater importance on input from fellow business owners when gathering information about technology, and are less likely than men business owners to seek information from computer-related publications, general interest magazines, business association meetings and the Internet.

From Entering the Information Age: Comparing the Role of Computers and Information Technology in Women- and Men-Owned Businesses., NFWBO 1996

Fact of the Week, August 25, 1997

The top 10 states for minority women-owned firms, based on an average ranking of number of firms, employment and sales, are: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Washington.

Fact of the Week, August 18, 1997

Women-owned firms in the service sector are just as fiscally solid as all service firms. In fact, women-owned firms in business services and other services such as health and legal services are significantly more fiscally healthy relative to all firms in those industries.

Fact of the Week, August 11, 1997

Between 1987 and 1996, the number of Hispanic women-owned firms increased by 206%, the number of Asian/Other women-owned firms increased by 138%, and the number of Black women-owned firms increased by 135%.

Fact of the Week, August 4, 1997

Computer use is now ubiquitous in American business. The most prevalent tasks for which women and men business owners use their computers are: accounting (73%), word processing (70%), database management (45%), sales/revenue analysis (42%) and order entry/invoicing (41%).

Fact of the Week, July 28, 1997

Between 1987 and 1996, the number of minority women-owned firms in the U.S. has increased by 153%, employment has grown by 276%, and sales have risen by 318%.

From 1996 Facts on Women-Owned Businesses: Trends Among Minority Women- Owned Firms, NFWBO 1997

Fact of the Week, July 21, 1997

Over one-third of minority women-owned firms in the United States are owned by Blacks (405,200), 35% are Hispanic-owned (382,400), and 28% are owned by women of Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native heritage (305,700).

Fact of the Week, July 14, 1997

One in eight (13%) of the nearly eight million women-owned businesses in the United States is owned by a woman of color. These 1,067,000 minority women-owned firms employ nearly 1.7 million people and generate more than $184 billion in sales.

Fact of the Week, July 7, 1997

Businesses owned by women of color are growing three times faster than the overall rate of business growth and faster than the growth rate of women-owned businesses in the U.S. Between 1987 and 1996, the number of minority women-owned firms overall has increased by 153% and women-owned firms in general has increased 78%.

Research Summaries by Date  ·  Sitemap