State-level policies affect success of female entrepreneurs

The report, Explaining State-Level Differences in Women-Owned Business Performance, found that factors, such as the availability of technology infrastructure, and the presence of an educated work force, directly affect the performance of women-owned business ventures.

The report uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau to examine the issues that result in state-to-state difference in the success of women’s businesses.

The Census data shows that women-owned businesses have a 74 percent survival rate in New York and Connecticut – on the high end – and a success rate of 60 percent in Tennessee on the low end. State-to-state discrepancies, according to the report, can be partially explained by the female business owners’ education levels, the sizes of the businesses and each state’s “knowledge economy level,” described by the report as the combined effect of venture capital dollars invested per business, the educational level of the work force and the degree of broadband penetration across each state.

“Creating an environment in which women-owned businesses can thrive should be a priority in every state and community nationwide,” said NWBC Executive Director Margaret Barton, in a news release.

“This research indicates the importance of providing women entrepreneurs access to education, mentoring, financial and technological resources.

The National Women’s Business Council is a bipartisan federal government council created to serve as an independent source of information and counsel on economic issues of importance to women business owners. The organization has a Web site at www.nwbc.gov.