I recently watched a segment on Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal that pointed out the horrible discrepancy between the number of male-owned small businesses that receive government contracts and the number of contracts given to small businesses owned by women. Although it’s true that the government could make more of an effort to close that gap, the problem lies more with the general lack of women-led small businesses in total, not that the government is necessarily favoring men over women.
Although women are starting their own businesses at a higher rate than men, women have a long way to go if they are to catch up to the number of male-owned small businesses. Now, there are multiple reasons for this discrepancy, many of which have already been outlined in detail from various publications (i.e. women tend to take fewer risks than men, women have a greater child-rearing burden placed upon them, and women have a more difficult time getting a loan to start a business in the first place).
But one of the biggest, and largely overlooked, reasons why women are less likely to start their own business is that there are simply fewer female role models for women to appeal to when seeking advice for how to start a small business. For instance, the vast majority of women who work for small businesses work in a male-led business rather than a female-led business. This becomes a hindrance to women who may want to break from the mold and start their own business because the gate-keepers tend to be male. Thus, women have to bear a greater burden of proof to be business-savvy and entrepreneurial, traits that are considered to be more characteristic of men.
The value of a female role model cannot be underestimated
As humans, we tend to follow other people’s examples. We started learning that ever since we were infants trying to walk. The same is true as adults. If we are to close the entrepreneurial gap between the genders, the women who have become pioneers in a largely male-dominated industry must be vocal and encourage other women to follow in their footsteps.
One great example of such a female role model is none other than Samantha Bee herself. The fact that she is the only female with a late-night talk show is a huge milestone for women who want to make it in comedy. Seeing her succeed gives women confidence that they too could achieve seemingly unreachable goals.
It may seem unfair that Samantha is burdened with being a role model for women on top of the immense pressure to be funny, but she hasn’t shied away from that responsibility as many of her segments tend to be about women’s issues in the United States. If women are to become more entrepreneurial, we need more women like Samantha Bee to prove that a feminine point of view is not only valid but essential to creating a more diverse and equitable world.
This article was originally published on LinkedIn.
