Women and Home-based Entrepreneurship Evidence from the United Kingdom

For women, owning and managing a home-based business can provide the flexibility to meet family responsibilities and undertake employment, although potentially at the cost of business performance and growth. Using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor survey for the UK, this research note explores the characteristics of those self-employed women who operate their businesses from home. Results indicate that a greater proportion of women with poor levels of entrepreneurial resources are more likely to operate home-based businesses, suggesting this decision is shaped by circumstance. The research also finds that such home-based businesses are more likely to operate part time, thus contributing further to their marginality.