The rise of the mompreneur: how today's women are balancing work and motherhood
Today, says the article, "more mothers are finding smart ways to blend work and family" including working flexible schedules. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 26% of working women with children under 18 work flexible schedules compared with just 14% in 1991.
The article also highlights the rise of the so-called Mompreneur, a stay-at-home Mom who starts her own home-based business. Data from The Center for Women's Business Research points to the significance of the trend reporting that nearly 75% of the more than 10 million women-owned businesses in the US have no employees.
The Mompreneur trend has also given rise to a cottage industry of books, web sites, blogs, support groups, even a new magazine, called Hybrid Mom, all designed to serve and support women balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship.
Caroline Davis, co-founder of The Worth Collection, Ltd., a leading women's luxury fashion company that sells directly to consumers, was an early Mompreneur who started her company in order to give other women a chance to be entrepreneurs. Says Davis, "Our goals for Worth were simple: create an exceptional luxury fashion brand and build a company that empowers women."
While Worth has nearly 800 independent sellers nationwide who can make six-figure salaries working 10 weeks a year running their Worth businesses out of their homes, Davis sees even greater potential.
"There continues to be a real need for flexible career options that provide women with income, opportunities to be part of a participatory management structure and the ability to use their talents to build successful home-based businesses of their own," says Davis.
Tamara Monosoff, author of books including Secrets of Millionaire Moms and The Mom Inventors Handbook, is not surprised by the success of Mompreneurs. "Women are uniquely qualified to be successful entrepreneurs. We're used to a constant juggling act in our day-to-day lives," says Monosoff. "A business on top of that? Why not?"
If the results of a 2006 Lifetime Television survey of Gen Y women (aged 18-29) are any indication, the Mompreneur trend is here to stay. According to the poll, 85% of Gen Y women plan to work after having children and the most popular career goal cited was starting their own business.
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