Women in Male-Dominated Fields

Subculture Project

I’ve lived in Richmond for nearly eight years and have always been inspired by the local business community here. Richmonders are passionate, bold, and loyal—whether they start businesses themselves or support those who do. With a few connections to local entrepreneurs, I decided to start my research there. As a woman, I was especially curious about female small business owners. Through conversations, I began hearing about women leading law firms, tech companies, and investment firms—fields I often considered to be "male-dominated".

That raised a bigger question: What can we learn from women who choose to pursue their passions in spaces where they’ve historically been underrepresented?

Research Methodologies

Since this was a semester long project, I did a ton of research. My methodologies included:

Desk Research
Social Listening
Event Attendance/Observation
1:1 Interviews
Survey

Top 5 Learnings

1) We still have progress to make

My survey respondents, specifically those who worked in male-dominated fields, reported that misogynistic comments and male-favoritism are still very much alive and well in our professional society! Whether it’s direct comments like “don’t worry your pretty little head” or more nuanced behaviors such as asking a male coworker for advice of a female coworker, this issue still persists in the workplace today.

2) Venture capital needs some work

The most significant hurdle for female founders in the stark disparity in access to capital. In 2024, $289 billion was invested globally in businesses, but only 2.3% of that went to female-only founding teams. And even when women find funding, they receive smaller amounts compared to men. The average deal size for a female-only team is 5.2 million, while for men, it’s 11.7 million.

3) Death to the 9-to-5

An overwhelming majority of the small business owners that I interviewed and that filled out my survey stated that they decided to start their own business and work for themselves because they were not satisfied with their 9-5 corporate jobs. They chose business ownership because they were tired of the norm.

Small business owners are the type of people who challenge what everyone else passively accepts.

4) Richmond loves small businesses

Between 2022 and 2023, Richmond had the fourth highest growth rate (59%) of women-owned businesses in the United States. Additionally, Greater Richmond has more than 2x the national average of Black-owned businesses (at 5.9%). However, this is in stark contrast to to the region’s Black popularion, which is approximately 29%.

While Richmond can be considered a powerful case study for successful small businesses, challenges (such as systematic barriers & a disconnected support ecosystem) still persist.

5) We are stronger together

The women I talked to throughout this project were overall very encouraging. They all believe in supporting other women and helping the female small business community grow into something special.

Here are some of the tips they shared:

“You gotta just go for it, don’t let planning come in between you and action”

“Set clear boundaries and get good and holding to them”

“Know your wroth - advocate for yourself and make sure your voice is heard. You deserve it”

“Never be afraid to ask for help. Networking can provide invaluable guidance”