Mexican Women Entrepreneurs & Gender Asymmetries in Houston, Texas

Faced with the need for greater flexibility, and burdened by the wage gap and lack of opportunities in the private sector, women in the region [Latin America] often turn to the informal sector and personal endeavors, becoming entrepreneurs. There are differences in the characteristics of businesses, their creation, and entrepreneurial behavior worldwide, in accordance with the gender of the owner. One such feature that has perhaps attracted the most interest from various researchers in the field of women-owned businesses are the high rates of growth in the number of such enterprises (both in the United States as in other countries) and their increasing participation even in areas or sectors traditionally considered a "male" domain. This paper is a contribution to gender studies concerning the participation of women in business activities or in fields that just a century ago were considered masculine by nature. From what has been called a "silent revolution" of women immigrant entrepreneurs in the last decade has grown the need to present the methods, challenges, characteristics, and needs of businesswomen in a leading role. This study aims to identify key gender differences in terms of educational level, access to financing, and business success among Mexican businessmen and women in the United States