In the Family Business Management class I teach for entrepreneurship majors at Baruch College, City University of New York, the discussion on women in family enterprises, always attracts an elevated level of attention.

The Baruch student body is one of the most diverse in the country. Remarkably, students from a wide range of cultural backgrounds share an appreciation for the inequality of women and men in family firms. The topic invariably draws comments from both women and men saying in essence that they were aware of the challenges for women in the work place, but never realized the unique situations of women in family businesses.

Not all gender-related differences are negative though, and some play to the unique qualities of women. From research[1] on women in family firms:

• Because of traditional family roles women’s contribution in family firms often remains in the background
• Women frequently take on positions that support the business such as bookkeeper as well as participate in “feminine roles, such as human resources, sales support, etc.
• Women take on roles of caring for peace and harmony in the family, nurturer of the next generation leadership, and can help their children to love the family business.
• Daughters have different relationships with their father than sons do. While the father-son relationship may be steeped in competition, the father-daughter relationship is more cooperative in nature.
• The psychology and socialization skills of women, their ability to overcome manage contradiction, as well as to trust instinct and intuition, rather than analysis and rationality may suit them well to succeed in an evolving business culture.

[1] Jimenez, Rocio Martinez, Research on Women in Family Firms. Family Business Review, 2009, Vol 22, No. 53