Encyclopedia of business_vol2 J-Z_ John G Maurer, Joel M Sulnan, Marcia L Russue, Richard C Becherer

History
In seventeenth and eighteenth century America, women worked at home with their husbands to contribute to the family's economic support. Employment opportunities for women were scarce. In this essentially self-supporting rural lifestyle, centers of commerce emerged as small towns and cities. Working out of necessity, women became shopkeepers, artisans, and merchants. The most frequent reason for working was widowhood.
Women in business
From the beginning of time, women have worked at home, as well as outside of home to contribute to the greater economic well being of family. Even in colonial America, characterized by rural and self-sufficient communities, women assumed roles in the manufacture and sale of goods. Beginning with the textile mills and the shoemaking industry of post-revolutionary America, the first real explosion of women into business appeared at the turn of the century in secretarial and take home work situations.
Working women
Women work in trades and labor jobs, in professional and managerial jobs, and in the service industry.
Reasons to start
Women start business for different reasons than their male counterparts, and women tend to start businesses about ten years later then men. Motherhood, lack of management experience, and traditional socialization can all be reasons for delayed entry into a career as a business due to some traumatic event, such as divorce, discrimination due to pregnancy or the corporate glass ceiling, the health of a family member, or economic reasons such as a layoff.
Strengths of women business owners
Despite the many challenges women face, this early socialization has given women specific traits and abilities which define the female model of business ownership. This different management style can be an asset and one from which men can learn. The style can be described as more cooperative than the competitive male model which now serves as the model taught in business schools. This style is often further developed through volunteer activities in early adulthood.