New research has been released today which claims that the recession has acted as a catalyst to exponential growth in female-owned start-up businesses.
According to the report by Avon and the Federation of Small Businesses, female entrepreneurship in 2009 has reached a tipping point with 100% more women-owned businesses predicted in the next decade. Interesting stuff but one element which caught my eye is the title: 'The rise of lipstick entrepreneurs'. I posted the point on Twitter and the reaction was pretty vocal!
A small selection of comments admittedly but are they ones that would be echoed by many women on reading the phrase 'lipstick entrepreneur'.
Now, the facts are clear; if the same number of UK-based women started their own business as in the US we'd have thousands and thousands more companies so anything which helps that to happen is a good thing.
But does using words like 'lipstick' when describing successful businesswomen actually perpetuate inequalities and discrimination? And does it paint a picture to some that all women don't start a business to make a profit and drive the economy but actually do it as a part-time hobby and for lifestyle reasons?
Some criticis also say the same of female-specific business initiatives (an issue we discussed last year). Do they encourage division which they were actually set up to remove? Let me know your thoughts.
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