Teen Girls on Business - Simmons College

<strong>Teen</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> on Business: Are They Being Empowered?Differences by Race and Ethnic IdentityIn addition to looking at how boys and girls differ in theirattitudes toward business and business careers, we alsoexamined differences between girls based on their racial andethnic identities. 27African American, Hispanic, and Asian American girls feelthey will need to support themselves, and place a higherimportance than White/Caucasian girls on “making lots ofmoney.” What types of careers do they feel will help themachieve these goals? As previously discussed, when asked tospontaneously list their top choice for their future careers,Asian American girls were the most likely among all groupsto choose business. Reflecting the pattern for girls in general,all four groups tended to choose other professionalcareers, such as doctors, lawyers, and teachers.Enthusiastic entrepreneursAdditional differences emerged when girls were asked directlyhow interested they were in starting their own businesses.Hispanic and African American girls in particular showedsignificantly higher interest than Asian American orWhite/Caucasian girls. Similarly, these two groups rated“being my own boss” as more important in their futurecareers than other groups.In focus groups, Hispanic and African American girls eloquentlydiscussed their interest in being entrepreneurs, andthey related starting their own business to financial successand respect. A number of girls talked about the role modelsthey admire who have built their own businesses. As discussedearlier, these girls have strong values and ambitions.Combined with the data on their attraction to entrepreneurship,it is clear that these are exactly the types of girls wewant and need in business. <strong>Girls</strong> of all ethnic and racialbackgrounds and socioeconomic levels should be encouragedin their ambitions to become successful entrepreneurs.Interest in Starting Own Business (Prompted)% of <strong>Girls</strong> Extremely or Somewhat Interested6050 56%49%403041% 39%2010050403020100African American Asian AmericanHispanicWhite/CaucasianImportance of Being Own Boss% of <strong>Girls</strong> Extremely or Very Important50%46%36%23%African American Asian AmericanHispanic White/Caucasian“I want to be my own boss . . . . That’s whenI’ve reached like my highest level of success,when I’m taking . . . charge ofeverything, where I’m the boss.”-African American High School Girl27As previously noted, only the four largest groups of respondents were used for this analysis. However,sample sizes for African American and Asian American girls are small and results for these groups shouldtherefore be viewed with caution.27