The glass ceiling is infamously difficult for women to crack, and the reasons are diverse—historical precedent, legislation, and bias, to name just a few. But it turns out, today’s leaders and entrepreneurs are making real progress.
Part of the reason is that the legal barriers to women obtaining funding and support for small business ideas were finally dismantled. Although there are still cultural barriers, the availability of credit is one of the reasons that women are founding companies at historic rates. Today, in fact, nearly 10 million women-owned businesses can be found in the United States alone. (On a side note, the best place for them to establish a business is, as it turns out, in the Western section of the country.)
From those businesses, the country can expect to gain 5.5 million jobs by 2018—a not-insignificant number. Those same businesses are growing at one-and-a-half times those of other small enterprises. Those statistics aren’t limited to the United States, either; nearly 30 percent of all companies across the globe are owned by women. And companies that include women on their boards are going to be able to fund themselves at a greater level too.
The types of businesses that women are founding or have founded are diverse, from clothing to tech to services. Some companies are just a few years old, while others have been around—and growing—for decades. Their valuation runs in the millions, if not the billions. We partnered with USC Marshall School of Business to bring to you this infographic that outlines a few things, including the state of women entrepreneurs today, what to expect in the future, and what some of the most notable women leaders are doing or have done with their businesses.
The post The Female Entrepreneur: Women Who Run Their World appeared first on Entrepreneurs En Vogue.