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May 7, 2008Current State of Businesses Owned by Women of Color Highlighted at Research Symposium |
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From Ascribe Newsfeed: The dynamics of the intersection of race and gender were the focus of research findings released today at the national symposium Research to Roadmap: Accelerating the Growth of Businesses Owned by Women of Color convened by the Center for Women's Business Research. The research is the first release of the results of a multi-year study conducted by the Center for Women's Business Research in partnership with Babson College exploring the impact of race and gender on the growth of businesses owned by women who are African-American, Asian, Latina and other ethnicities. The research found that being a business owner who is a woman of color can evoke misperceptions about business capacity, result in lessened access to capital for business growth, create the challenge of balancing the expectations and demands of running a business and being part of a diverse culture, and increase the difficulty of attracting top talent. The research also pointed out that many women business owners of color have a double bottom line. As part of the research methodology, participants identified obstacles at the personal, community, and national levels. - Diversity must be systemic: all races and ethnicities must be represented at all levels of leadership and decision-making. - Create affinity groups specifically for women of diverse races and ethnicities. Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., is recognized internationally as a leader in entrepreneurial management education. We provide direct, immediate access to mainstream national media for 600 colleges, universities, medical centers, public-policy groups and other leading nonprofit organizations.
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