Special Issue “Where Have All the Business Women Gone?” Published

A new Special Issue of Small Business Economics: An Entrepreneurship Journal has been released, shedding light on an often overlooked chapter in economic history: women’s entrepreneurship in the twentieth century.

Despite growing interest in gender and entrepreneurship, the twentieth century has received surprisingly limited attention in historical research. This Special Issue addresses that gap by examining how women across Western and non‑Western contexts built businesses, navigated institutional constraints, and contributed to economic development. Using a mixed‑methods approach, the collection highlights the diversity of women’s entrepreneurial activity—from self‑employment and family co‑management to innovation in underrepresented sectors.

The editors identify several key themes that advance understanding of female entrepreneurship during this period:

• Varied forms of entrepreneurial activity: including self‑employment, informal business roles, and co‑working within family firms.
• Non‑Western business environments: how different industrialisation paths, regional dynamics, and institutional structures shaped women’s opportunities.
• Integration of qualitative and quantitative methods: demonstrating how combining sources uncovers overlooked entrepreneurial contributions.
• Historical blind spots in existing literature: including Western bias, focus on exceptional cases, and limited attention to everyday businesswomen.
• Connections to contemporary debates: showing how long‑standing structural barriers continue to influence women’s entrepreneurial experiences today.
• Future research directions: calling for broader datasets, comparative perspectives, and deeper engagement with institutional and cultural contexts.

Together, the studies in this Special Issue offer a richer and more inclusive foundation for understanding women’s roles in twentieth‑century business, while opening new avenues for scholars exploring gender and entrepreneurship.

Read the introductory article by Selin Dilli, Carry van Lieshout, Jennifer Aston, and Robert J. Bennett: Where have all the business women gone? Women and business in the 20th century.