We Mean Business: 7 Industries Where Women Are Thriving

Women are taking over and making huge strides toward leadership positions and revolutionizing industries that were previously male-dominated. In fact, there are more women in leadership roles now than ever before.

While there are industries that are female-dominated and have better stances on gender equality and inclusion, there are some industries where women are few and far between but stand to make the most impact — for example, engineering. In these industries, women may have to shatter glass ceilings and blend in with a workforce that doesn’t reflect them, but these industries need more diversity and women.

So let’s take a look at the industries where women are thriving and have the most potential to make an impact and land a leadership role. Hint: You may be surprised by some of these! We’ll also discuss how women are making these industries even more diverse by creating new businesses and the obstacles they face on their entrepreneurial journeys.

 Industries Where Women Are Thriving

1.Beauty

It comes as no surprise that women are killing it in the beauty industry since they are the sector’s largest consumer. But what might be surprising is that most beauty companies are owned by men. However, entrepreneurial women are disrupting that model by branching out into many of the unique aspects of the beauty industry by creating unique strategies on how to build clientele. This shift is much needed, as women should be leading a market that is consumed by women because this ensures that products are made with the actual consumers in mind. Within the beauty sector, female hairstylists are taking up more room behind the salon chairs, too. Starting a salon is a great way to build a business and empower other women, too. After you furnish your salon with salon furniture, you’ll be able to offer other women employment opportunities and financial security.

2.Engineering

While men make up most of the engineering field, women have the opportunity to make a huge impact on this space. The manufacturing industry is experiencing an alarming and growing skills gap with more than 2.4 million jobs needing to be filled over the next 10 years. There are many initiatives within this industry that unite women and propel them into leadership roles. Keep an eye on this field. We think there will be more women leaders in a few years!

3.Nursing

Women are natural caretakers, which is why women have been thriving and excelling in the nursing field for decades. The field has also been diversified due to new technology and the pandemic, which allows women to participate in the field in new and innovative ways, such as telehealth.

4.Flight Attendants

No shocker here that women are everywhere in the sky! While only 7.9 percent of women are pilots, they make up more than 70 percent of flight attendants. Being a flight attendant can be an exciting and fun opportunity with so many benefits.

5.Marketing

Sure, PR and advertising agencies are dominated by women, but entrepreneurial women are also dominating the marketing field in new and exciting ways, such as freelancers, influencers, content creators and more.

6.Tech

Women are creating their own lanes when it comes to business. After being underserved or marginalized by certain industries, we see more women in tech and creating startups to meet the diverse needs of consumers. Whether they are founding a company or working in tech, more than half of tech startups have women on their teams.

7.Health and Fitness

The health and fitness industry speaks to both men and women, but the main target is usually women. This makes so much sense as women are taking their spots in this industry as leaders and even rewriting the image and mission of the health and fitness industry to be more kind and inclusive.

Opportunities for Women to Start Their Own Businesses

Today, the sky’s the limit for women. Even in industries that rest on traditional laurels or are male-dominated, there is so much room for innovation and improvement. And that’s why many women are making their marks in these industries by starting their own businesses to meet the demands and needs that have been long-neglected by traditional companies. More than 36 percent of small businesses worldwide are owned by women and there are an estimated 252 million female entrepreneurs. So if you’re looking to make your mark on some of the industries above, but you feel as though you don’t fit in, make your own lane!

Here are some encouraging statistics for female entrepreneurs, courtesy of Legal Jobs:

• More than 12.3 million U.S. businesses are owned by women.
• In 2019, women of color created the most new businesses at 89 percent.
• Over the last 10 years, Hispanic women-owned businesses grew by 172 percent.
• Women entrepreneurs are more successful than men at gaining crowdsourced funding for their businesses.

 

Obstacles Women Face in the Workforce and While Starting Businesses

Statistically, women face more obstacles when it comes to starting a business than men do, even though a study of 350 woman-owned businesses proved to be safer investments than companies started by men. However, women still struggle to get funding and loans for the necessary things they need to get their business off the ground and thriving. While we would like to share some statistics from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on some of the obstacles women entrepreneurs face, don’t let these stats discourage you. Instead, keep them in mind to empower you and your drive to create a successful business.

• Lack of Funding – As we mentioned above, it’s common for female entrepreneurs to struggle with securing funding for their new business. To mitigate this, explore other sources of funding like crowdsourcing, in which women outperform men!
• Market Saturation – When starting a business — no matter the industry – you may feel as though the market is saturated, which could be discouraging to entrepreneurs who are looking to start a new business or launch a new product. But don’t let that stop you. Remember when Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, even though there were thousands of other makeup brands and the market was clearly oversaturated? That didn’t stop Rihanna, and Fenty Beauty has been a huge hit as it met a demand that other brands weren’t even focused on — diversifying the skin shades for foundation.
• Low Self-Confidence – Of course, having to face more obstacles than your male counterparts when starting a new business can take a hit at your confidence, but take these obstacles in stride and rest assured knowing that they will make your success story all the more sweet.

Like we said at the beginning of this article, we believe the time is now for women to take their places in these fruitful industries, demand change and create new businesses that better lives and the world.