The ramifications of recent shutdowns have been especially dire for women. Data shows that they have lost their jobs at higher rates than men due to occupational crowding in service-sector jobs as well as increased pressure to quit to take on additional family caregiving responsibilities. Black and Latina women are especially struggling. 

Even before the economic ramifications of the pandemic, female founders have long had the cards stacked against them. Just one example is the widespread disparity in VC funding, with Pitchbook/NVCA reporting that only 2.7% of all venture capital funding in 2019 went to startups founded by a woman or group of women and only 11.7% went to teams that had a woman on the founding team.  And now, like many working women, some female founders have been balancing their professional responsibilities with additional child and elder-care responsibilities.

While there’s no denying that many are struggling, there are some glimmers of hope for the future. A recent study of over 100 US-based women-run companies points to a couple of ways female-founded startups may actually be better positioned compared to their peers. Among other insights, the Female Founders Fund survey found that 20% of female-founded businesses reported increased revenue projections for the next year. Contrarily, an April survey by Startup Genome of about 1,000 global startups found that 12% of respondents were experiencing that same kind of growth. 

The disparities in funding, support and opportunities for women are significant and widespread, and the data on Black and Latina women is particularly concerning. Yet we hope that the data from these recent studies offers some insight into how some female-founders are navigating our complex health, societal and economic realities. 

P.S. Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here.