A Growing Market

Sheila West, President of Archery Center, Int'l
In addition to "C" corporations, women owned 5.9 million sole proprietorships, partnerships, and subchapter S corporations in 1992. Subchapter S corporations have no more than 35 shareholders and are not taxed as corporations. In 1992, these women-owned "non-C" businesses generated nearly $643 billion in revenues, over 40% of the total for all women-owned businesses. These "non-C businesses included some 818,000 employer firms, 14% of all women-owned "non-C" businesses, with 6.3 million employees and payrolls of nearly $105 billion. These businesses were predominantly retail and service businesses, accounting for over 72% of women-owned unincorporated businesses and subchapter S corporations.

In the past five years the number of women-owned "non-C" businesses has increased 43%, up 4.1 million in 1987. Between 1987 and 1992, growth rates for women-owned firms were above average in several non-traditional business sectors, including construction (up over 50%) and wholesale trade (up over 85%); receipts for women-owned "non-C" businesses more than doubled, from a total of $278 million in 1987; and firms with 100 or more employees increased nearly 130% to more than 6,660 businesses in 1992. Nationwide, of some 17 million sole proprietorships, partnerships and subchapter S corporations in 1992, more than one-third were women-owned and their businesses generated more than 19% of all "non-C" businesses revenues.

Elizabeth Saunders, President of American Derringer

Over 40% of all U.S. "non-C" retail and service businesses were owned by women and showed strong rates of growth since the prior 5-year survey. Between 1987 and 1992, the number of U.S. "non-C" businesses grew by 26%, while comparable women-owned businesses grew some 43%; growth rates for U.S. "non-C" construction and wholesale businesses were about one-fourth those of comparable women-owned businesses; total revenues for all U.S. "non-C" businesses grew by 67%, versus nearly twice that rate (131%) for women- owned businesses.