Women-owned businesses are flourishing, but they still do face challenges that male-owned businesses may be able to avoid. The unfortunate truth is that discrimination is still common and can come from a variety of sources.
For instance, when trying to land clients, some women-owned businesses have said that it’s harder for them to do so in many cases, as those clients may assume that a male-owned business is better or more capable, despite all evidence to the contrary. It’s hard to shake this type of bias.
Women don’t get opportunities
Part of the reason that bias exists is just that men still run most companies. For example, one study looked at 346 companies that were on the Fortune 500 list. More than 300 of those CEOs were men, with just 21 women. It’s very clear that companies looking to hire CEOs tend to go with men over women.
Now, starting a women-owned business is clearly one way around this. A woman who owns her business and acts as a CEO does not have to look for approval from anyone. However, that doesn’t eliminate the problem. Should women be forced to start their own companies because they can’t get hired? That’s hardly a fair playing field.
Plus, the mere fact that men tend to be at the top of businesses may influence clients so that they don’t hire these women-owned businesses, making it harder for them to thrive. If that causes the businesses to fail, the discrimination is clearly impacting the corporate world at every level.
Equal opportunities
Men and women deserve equal opportunities. Anyone who faces gender discrimination at work needs to know what legal options they have. When you aren’t sure what to do next, it may be time to seek experienced legal assistance.