Managing our margins: Women entrepreneurs in suburban New Jersey.
Item
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Title
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Managing our margins: Women entrepreneurs in suburban New Jersey.
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Identifier
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AAI9924841
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identifier
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9924841
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Creator
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Reed, Kimberly Ayn.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Cynthis Fuchs Epstein
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Date
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1999
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Industrial and Labor Relations | Women's Studies | Business Administration, Management
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Abstract
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Women constitute a growing proportion of small entrepreneurs in the United States. How do women establish themselves as business owners in a country where entrepreneurship is traditionally associated with male leadership? How have women adapted to new roles as small firm owners? Drawn from the narratives of women who own small firms in suburban New Jersey and New York City, the findings of this study challenge popular assumptions about women entrepreneurs in the United States, for example that women are more important employers than large Fortune 500 corporations, that women become entrepreneurs to achieve flexible child care, and that there are distinctive managerial styles caused by essential gender differences. Small business ownership does not guarantee high incomes or more personal time for children and households, but women owners in suburbia nonetheless report satisfaction rather than conflicts in their management of multiple roles. The New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners supports individuals as they establish and strengthen entrepreneurial identities. Members learn cultural norms and strategies for making connections with other business owners, reinforcing their confidence and optimism in the face of difficult competition. Individuals are attracted to a women's association in part because they are referring their identities to an established group representing both women's collective interests and the aspiration of individuals to achieve higher status through participation in market processes. The woman entrepreneur as a public figure also legitimates women's risks of resources when they choose self-employment. The findings of the dissertation emphasize that while women achieved new goals in business, even educated middle class women have not overcome economic and social restraints that leave the majority of them to manage on the small scale margins of the economy. Based on depth interviews and field observations conducted from 1991 to 1993 among members of voluntary business associations, the study is supplemented by association publications and census data.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
