Glass ceiling not the only push factor for middle-aged women entrepreneurs

Women who set up their own businesses in the North East do so not just because of the glass ceiling effect, according to an in-depth study from Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University (NBS). Nicola Patterson, a graduate tutor at NBS, discovered that male bias in the corporate world is just one of a number of factors which is leading more middle-aged women to go it alone.

A sample of the regionís female entrepreneurs aged 45-55 found that a combination of organizational sexism, personal and domestic circumstances, and the need to gain independence and control were pivotal in womenís decision to change direction. ìIt is no longer enough to suggest that these women either jumped the corporate ship or gained new wings,î Nicola said. ìAll of the entrepreneursí career transitions were triggered by an event, or an accumulation of events, which simultaneously drove them away from employment and into the arms of entrepreneurship. The glass ceiling is still there, but is no longer the only decisive factor for women.î

The findings could have important implications for company retention and enterprise support services, Nicola said. ìIt is important that employers understand the complex issues surrounding a womenís career journey when assessing retention rates. They should consider that a range of factors internally and externally to the organization may lead to a womenís decision to leave a company and bosses should watch for warning signs,î she said. ìIt is also vital that enterprise support services are equipped to deal with the issues and problems that women may bring to the start up phase and those which may emerge as the business begins to grow.î

One entrepreneur interviewed for the NBS study was Caroline Theobald, the managing director of Bridge Club in Newcastle. Now aged 50, Caroline set up her own company in 2000 to provide networking services for early stage growth businesses. This followed a career in marketing, journalism and public relations which included a spell working as a press officer for Robert Maxwell. ìAround the time of the dot.com boom I spotted a gap in the market to help grow small and medium sized enterprises through a new online networking service ñ now our connections generate at least 5.2 million for our clients on an annual basis,î Caroline explained. ìIíve found the transition easier than some as I come from an entrepreneurial family ñ a quarter of my relatives run their own businesses ñ so I knew it wasnít going to be a walk in the park. So for me it was a combination of factors which led to me starting up.î

Caroline, who last year won a Queenís Award for Enterprise Promotion in recognition of her work in supporting enterprise, also recalled a time in the late 1980s when she was confronted by corporate sexism head on. ìI actually had to hire a male secretary to set up appointments for me in the North East ñ that was a rude awakening,î she said. ìThat has changed, and is changing. I donít think I helped myself then as I was brought up to be respectful of elders, and these were often men in senior positions, but I definitely think itís easier for women today.î

Nicolaís study recently earned her a Best Paper Award for Womenís Enterprise and Enterprise Development at the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurshipís annual conference.