Where are all the selfemployed women Push and pu

Authors: Carlianne Patrick Heather Stephens Amanda Weinstein

Publish Date: 2016/01/16

Volume: 46, Issue: 3, Pages: 365-390

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Abstract

Previous research focuses on factors that influence selfemployment participation in part because entrepreneurship has been associated with economic growth This literature has tended to focus only on men or the comparison of women to men while ignoring substantial heterogeneity in employment decisions among women By investigating the impact of individual household and local economic and cultural characteristics on the labor market outcomes of different groups of women we get a more comprehensive picture of their selfemployment decision Recognizing selfemployment as one of multiple labor market choices we use multinomial logit and two confidential geocoded microlevel datasets to study women`s career choices in urban areas We find that the effects of various push and pull factors differ between married and unmarried women In particular more progressive gender attitudes pull married women into selfemployment while household burdens associated with children push them into selfemployment For unmarried women the local business climate and individual characteristics have the strongest influence In both cases the motivations for women are quite different than men

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