Become Self Employed. Five reasons why women become self employed.

We all know the feeling. Another bad day at work with a nightmare boss, doing the same boring repetitive tasks. You simply cant face doing the same job for a second longer. Suddenly, becoming self employed can seem like a tempting option. Just imagine, you work when you want sitting at the laptop in your robe, no more commuting through the traffic, the end of the nine to five routine. Its a sunny day - well lets not work today then!  And no boss nagging you to get things done.

In reality though taking the plunge into self employment can be daunting. The difficulties and uncertainty of working for yourself can be enough to convince the majority of us that the security of paid employment is the preferable choice.

However in recent years increasing numbers of men and women have grasped the opportunity and chosen self employment.

"Official figures show the number of people in self-employment is still rising in the recession – from 3,794,000 in July-September last year (2008) to 3,852,000 in the same period this year (2009). There were 81,000 more self-employed women this year and 23,000 more men. More recent figures show the number of self-employed men rising by 6,000 and women by 26,000." (Source; The Independent UK November 2009).

81,000 more women chose to become self employed in the UK last year. That sounds like an astonishing figure!

So what are the reasons motivating these women to take the plunge and leave the nine to five behind?

The desire - or in fact the basic need for flexible working opportunities is a major motivator for women choosing to work for themselves.

54% of women start a business so they can choose what hours they work, compared to only 35% of men. (Women & Men Business Owners in the United Kingdom) while 21% of women state family commitments as a reason for becoming self-employed compared to only 2% of men (A Strategic Framework for Women’s Enterprise, Small Business Service, 2003). (source, prowess.org.uk).

Being able to combine work with motherhood is a reason that many women choose to work for themselves. If she is running a small operation then a woman can work on her business from home while her children are in the room with her if needs be. This is corroborated by research from the Small Business Administration 2009, which reports that “self employed women spent less time in work related activities and more time providing childcare, especially ‘secondary’ childcare, in which a parent is at the same location as the child but is primarily engaged in another activity.”

Single parents in particular found the flexibility of self employment a major motivating factor. By choosing to work for themselves they are able to work around the family, choose their own hours, work on a night while the children are asleep and spend time with them during the day. Research by The Small Business Service (2003) found that 21% of women give family commitments as the reason for being self employed compared to just 2% of men.

In addition working mothers have problems finding childcare - and the money to pay for this care - during school holidays or when a child is ill. Being self employed and thus not obliged to go into the workplace can help them find ways around these difficulties.

Essentially it's about finding that elusive 'work life balance'. Self employment creates the opportunity for a woman to adjust her career around her life, rather than the other way around.

Women who wish to return to work after starting a family may sometimes find their work choices are limited. Being out of the workplace, even for a relatively short period of time, can be a massive hindrance for women. It is often difficult to re - enter a job at the level at which she left and a woman may have to accept a lesser role or reduced income. A woman returning to work after having children may find that she has to work so much harder, go beyond the extra mile if you like, to prove her capabilities have not been lost.

Chances of promotion are reduced. Team roles can be blurred if your role has been filled by someone in your team during your absence. In many ways a womans previous working life simply does not fit comfortably with their role as a mother. A woman may feel guilty having to leave her children in the care of some one else, while her boss may not trust her commitment to her job now that she has something more important to worry about.

Faced with this multitude of difficulties is it any wonder so many women choose to work for themselves?

Around her 40s a woman may realise that her career has stalled. Promotions go to others, she is overlooked for management roles and basically she has reached the dreaded 'glass ceiling.' The Female FTSE report 2008 stated that women made up only 11% of board directors.

Self employment is a way for women to enjoy the rewards they feel their work justifies. Women in their 30's and 40's will have gained considerable work experience, contacts and knowledge. These can all be put to good use in their own business, rather than contributing to an employer.

Research from The London Business School (2006) found that the most entrepreneurial age for women is 35 – 44. Is it a coincidence that this is the age range when the limitations of the glass ceiling are being most keenly felt? It makes sense that a woman would be motivated to work for herself rather than for a company where she is under appreciated.

Interestingly, women in the USA are twice as likely to be entrepreneurial than their UK counterparts, but why this would be I am not sure.

The current worldwide economic downturn has impacted on men’s employment levels as many have been made redundant. Between spring and autumn 2008, men accounted for eight out of ten job losses. (People Management 2009).Because of this widespread redundancy and reduced household incomes many women have needed to find some additional income to supplement the family finances. “In the face of widespread redundancy, women’s instinct to protect their family translates into a practical need to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.” (The Future Laboratory / Avon UK 2009).

While the necessity to improve a current financial situation has been the motivator for many men and women to become self employed, the threat of redundancy and job insecurity has also motivated people to work for themselves. Rather than rely solely on an unpredictable employer, they would prefer to take a chance and go it alone. Job security for most of us is a thing of the past. Very few people have a job for life. Working for yourself obviously brings its own problems and stresses but for many they are favourable to the stress of never being sure that you will have a job next week.

Some people can never be happy working for an employer. They have their own business dreams and goals that being an employee will never fulfill. People with an entrepreneurial spirit would not be happy unless they were working for themselves.

Being her own boss gives a woman independence, freedom and status.Owning your own business can often feel like you are not working. Because you only have to answer to yourself you can set your own goals, reach your own targets and the rewards of your hard work are yours.

Of course I am not suggesting that working for yourself is easy! There are numerous difficulties associated with becoming self employed; managing your time, tax and accountancy, set up costs, finding customers and so on.

But none of these problems are insurmountable. You can keep your business small. After all not everyone wants to be like Anita Roddick or Bill Gates! Help, support and grants are out there for individuals determined to succeed. The simple fact is that many, many women and men are choosing to work for themselves and the likelihood is that during these uncertain economic times the number of self employed will continue to grow.

So will you be one of them?

I hope you found something useful, interesting or thought provoking here. If you did...

please vote this article up,

Share it on your facebook or twitter social sites (there is a link at the top of the article) or with stumbleupon, she told me or digg,

and leave a comment below