by Jonathan Butler
As we continue Women in Business Month, I had very little trouble thinking about what to write for this newsletter. Every morning, after a quick trip to get coffee, I walk into the office and am greeted by my staff. A nearly all-female staff. In fact, out of the 15 people at 1Berkshire, I am one of four men. Each team leader and the Executive VP of 1Berkshire are women. The 1Berkshire Alliance Board of Directors also has an additional 15 women on it. I am in the minority and that’s a wonderful thing.
Interestingly, this type of business make-up is not unusual in the Berkshires. According to the United States Census Bureau, 30% of businesses in the Berkshires are owned by women. There are numerous female executives, department heads, and senior management in the area as well. This is something we should celebrate, but also something we should continue to focus on improving. While more than half of the Berkshire County population are women, businesses in the area are still 2x more likely to be owned by men. We may be ahead of the country average, but we’ve still got work to do.
In addition to highlighting the progress women in business have made, we must not forget the challenges they continue to face. As an example, it’s important to remember the fact that overall women are still paid 79 cents to the dollar versus men. The wage gap can be even worse based on race and geography. Statistics also show that of conventional small business loans, women only account for 4.4% of total dollar value of loans from all sources. In other words, just $1 of every $23 in conventional small business loans goes to a woman-owned business. These topics and more need to be consistently addressed as we continue to strive for equality in and out of the workplace.
With that in mind, and since nationally this is Women’s Small Business month, it’s important that we draw attention to the wide variety of women-owned businesses, leaders, and entrepreneurs in our area. From arts and culture and manufacturing to healthcare and politics, the Berkshires is home to so many outstanding and committed women leaders. This newsletter and our ongoing highlights of local women in business on our 1Berkshire Facebook Page during this month, are dedicated to recognizing some of these leaders.
With any luck, next year the number of women-owned/run businesses will be even higher and we can continue to outpace the national average. In the meantime, what are you doing to celebrate the women in your workplace?
*Statistics were drawn from the 2012 U.S. Census. The Census does do not include farms in calculating the businesses.