Background papers for the 1999
Manawatu Employment SummitWOMEN, ARTS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EMPLOYMENT
Palmerston North Community Arts Council
P O Box 994, Palmerston North
Many researchers throughout the world have acknowledged the increasing contribution to national economies from 'entrepreneurial' activities in the past one to two decades. Much of the recent research, especially with regards to female entrepreneurs, is aimed at micro/little/small or medium sized businesses. The business size and type (sole operator, partnership etc.) varies from country to country and in accordance to the individual researcher's parameters for their specific studies. Many business owners (male and female) may not be considered entrepreneurial in the traditional or mainstream economic sense. Following the classical definitions of an entrepreneur may especially be detrimental to the study of the role of women as entrepreneurs as the methods employed to gather data on the female entrepreneur today resemble those used in the last decade to research male entrepreneurs. The role of women entrepreneurs and in particular, the role of low-income women entrepreneurs, in economic development has not been seriously researched, or even acknowledged.
Over the past twenty years trends are emerging that show that the involvement of women in enterprises has increased dramatically and is growing at a rate that outpaces the involvement of their male counterparts. Major changes in many countries include increases in the female urban labour force, especially among working mothers in the twenty-five to forty-four age group.
Women are seeking self-employment in ever increasing numbers, and more so than men, to escape the confines of corporate life, to control their own careers, to earn money, to accommodate family, and last, but not least, to have independence, autonomy and job satisfaction.
Despite the global trend of increasing numbers of women in self-employment, many women are still facing formidable barriers. There have been identified three barriers from a survey in Australia, that is, "entry barriers, operating barriers (when the business is functional); and personal barriers."
Rosemary Burr is one author who has spoken of the "credibility gap", which she attributes to "years of accrued prejudice" (Burr, 1986). This concept is difficult to identify and describe but basically, in business, there is the perception that the woman is the assistant or secretary. It is evident that woman without established credibility in business, will be at a considerable disadvantage when dealing with the bank manager or business advisor. Women, typically have a lack of confidence, collateral and own resources, this is exacerbated by the "credibility gap'. Since talking to the bank manager is one of the first steps in floating a business idea, when encouragement and support are needed, the attitude of bankers gives cause for concern.
There are further barriers for women when the nature of their business is based around art/cultural or craft service or product.
Many women produce art or craft works as either a hobby or as part of their household activity. This phenomenon is widely spread in New Zealand with the great diversity of cultures now found in this country. For example many Pacific Island women are not employed in the typical work force scenario but spend their time at home caring for children and other family members. Many of these women produce goods and services that relate to their own cultural backgrounds. These may include such as clothing, crafts, alternative remedies or special skills in dance, music or visual arts.
Many of the women share their knowledge and abilities on a voluntary level and often at great personal expense. The patriarchal definition of what rates as "work" also denigrates the huge contribution that women provide in social and economic terms from their activities performed at home and in their communities
There is great potential for these people to earn revenue from the skills and knowledge that they have but there is a need for a suitable catalyst to engage and develop the potential enterprise. The support required needs to address the barriers to success for these women.
A summary of general barriers to the success of women in enterprise include:-
The central issue is the underdevelopment of the potential of women, because of the lack of resources, recognition and respect. van der Wees and Romijn (1995) state that "There is an urgent need to reclassify employment categories to more accurately capture the variation in women's (and men's) economic activities." The reclassification of what is considered entrepreneurial will also reflect the society for which it is being judged in, indicating that the word "entrepreneur" will have many different meanings.
In summary, female entrepreneurship, as a global trend, has increased greatly over the past two decades with predictions such as, by the year 2000 women will owned 50% of all small businesses in America. Data from less-developed countries is not as readily available, yet recent research indicates that self-employed women contribute immensely in social and economic terms.
References
Burr, R (1986). Female Tycoons, Interviews with Twelve Top Businesswomen. Rosters Ltd. London.
van der Wees, C and H. Romijn. (1995) Entrepreneurship and Small- and Microenterprise Development for Women: A Problematique in Search of Answers, a Policy in Search of Programs. In Dignard, L and J. Havet (Eds.). Women in Micro- and Small-Scale Enterprise Development. Westview Press, Inc. Boulder, Colorado
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