The years from 1997 to 2007 were a dynamic period in the U.S. economy. The strong growth early in this period was negatively affected by the recession of 2000-2001; strong economic growth resumed in 2002-2007. The data for this period reflect an economy moving out of a recession and ending on a high note in 2007, before the next recession. How did women and other small business owners fare during this 10-year period between 1997 and 2007?

The primary goal of this report is to place gender in a broader perspective. Business ownership no longer can be analyzed simply on the basis of the owner’s gender; businesses owned by women and men more and more share the same general development patterns. Moreover, the strong growth of publicly held firms, which cannot be identified by the demographic characteristics of their many owners, has led to the need to focus on both privately owned and publicly held firms.