ABSTRACT
United States census estimates, there are roughly 2.3 million women in South Carolina and 2.2 million men. These women own 76,879 businesses, of which nearly 12,000 employ others. Today, the most prevalent form of immigration to South Carolina comes from Hispanics who come to find work. The preponderance of Hispanic immigration into South Carolina mirrors the current immigration trends in the US overall. While the majority of female immigrant entrepreneurs in this study did feel that opportunities were equal for men and women, gender equality is still an issue in the US despite the fact that equal pay and anti-discrimination laws were passed more than 40 years ago. Surprisingly, 72 percent of female immigrant entrepreneurs in this study did not feel burdened by work and family conflicts. Contrary to national averages and US Census data for South Carolina however, the female immigrant entrepreneurs in this study were all married and the majority had children.
