Latest Report on Female Business Owners in 2025
In a recent survey by The Harris Poll, it was revealed that women in the United States face a multitude of challenges when it comes to small business ownership. The study found that factors such as feeling not taken seriously, limited access to funding, and economic uncertainty are among the top reasons why women are hesitant to pursue this path.
According to a report by Babson College and Bank of America, many female business owners feel they are not taken seriously in the marketplace. This can be due to market misperceptions, exclusion from key business networks, and difficulties in managing expectations while being underfunded [1].
Another significant barrier is the limited access to equity and capital. Financial systems can be exclusionary by design, and inconsistent or insufficient training also hampers the ability of women to start and scale businesses [3]. Economic factors such as rising prices, tariffs, federal spending cuts, and overall economic uncertainty, which impact consumer spending and volatility, also make small business ownership more challenging [2][5].
These pressures disproportionately impact women- and minority-owned businesses due to fewer financial cushions and more difficulty securing contracts or grants. A practical caution is often advised where women are warned not to quit their jobs before securing funding, highlighting the financial insecurity that prevents many from pursuing entrepreneurship [4].
Despite these challenges, the survey showed a surge in applications from women entrepreneurs, resulting in a surge in new business openings. However, only 13% of women entrepreneurs plan to expand their business in 2025 [6].
Currently, 25% of American women already own a small business [7]. It's worth noting that 32% of men who currently own a small business feel financially successful, compared to just 23% of women entrepreneurs [8].
Grants for small businesses, both for women and others, are available from private companies, as well as federal, state, and local governments. However, these grants can be highly competitive and time-consuming to acquire, and the current and future statuses of many federal grant types are uncertain due to new policies and court challenges [9].
Interestingly, 19% of women who don't currently own a small business say they don't have the time to put into starting one, while nearly 2 in 5 say it's because they don't have the money to start one [10]. Another 27% say they don't have a small-business idea [11].
Local, state, and private grants may not be subject to the same obstacles, making them a potential opportunity for women looking to start their own businesses. Despite the challenges, the survey shows a resilient spirit among women entrepreneurs, with many continuing to pursue their dreams in the face of adversity.
References:
- Babson College and Bank of America, 2019
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2020
- Small Business Administration, 2021
- Forbes, 2020
- CNN Business, 2020
- The Harris Poll, 2021
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2019
- The Harris Poll, 2021
- Small Business Administration, 2021
- The Harris Poll, 2021
- The Harris Poll, 2021
- Women face challenges such as not being taken seriously, limited access to funding, and economic uncertainty when pursuing small business ownership in the United States.
- Financial systems can be exclusionary by design, leading to insufficient training for women, limiting their ability to start and scale businesses.
- Economic factors like rising prices, tariffs, federal spending cuts, and overall economic uncertainty impact consumer spending and volatility, making small business ownership more challenging.
- Many female business owners feel they are not taken seriously in the marketplace, due to market misperceptions, exclusion from key business networks, and difficulties in managing expectations while being underfunded.
- To overcome these challenges, grants for small businesses, both for women and others, are available from private companies, as well as federal, state, and local governments, though they can be highly competitive and time-consuming to acquire.
- Despite the challenges, there's a resilient spirit among women entrepreneurs, with many continuing to pursue their dreams in the face of adversity, resulting in a surge in new business openings.
- Local, state, and private grants may offer opportunities for women looking to start their own businesses, as they are not necessarily subject to the same obstacles as federal grants.
