Self–employed women — new opportunities, old challenges?

In this paper it is argued that the gender of an individual entering self–employment will significantly affect the experience of owning a business. Given that women are subject to patriarchal pressures that underlie their subordination in society, it is argued that being female will affect the experience of self–employment from initiation of the firm, to development of the enterprise through to the manner of daily management challenges. This hypothesis is evaluated through a matched study of male and female small business owners where the effect of gender upon the experiences of small firm ownership is evaluated.