It Takes a Village

Why are women entrepreneurs concentrated into certain occupational and industrial sectors? Why are women entrepreneurs more likely to be located in suburban areas than in city centres? Why do women's businesses tend to remain smaller and less profitable than a similar business owned by a man? This book seeks to address these questions through a case study of women's entrepreneurship in Worcester Massachusetts in the United States. The empirical evidence provided in the book is drawn from women entrepreneurs via interviews and questionnaires and also from interviews conducted with those who provide resources (e.g. knowledge and money) to those starting businesses. By paying particular attention to the resources that are available to women entrepreneurs and the ways that women engage with resource networks that are located in both the suburban and urban parts of the city, the book argues that gender is both an enabling and constraining mechanism in women's entrepreneurship. Those interested in entrepreneurship, economic development through entrepreneurship, and those who support women's business start-ups should find this book useful.