ABSTRACT
Especially in the past, woman's professional capabilities and competencies were mostly ignored both in family and nonfamily businesses. Many wives, daughters and women in general played several central roles in companies; however, in general their work is invisible, with no recognition and no monetary gain with few chances to show their true abilities. Women have played key roles in founding and shaping the development of many private family firms, both behind the scenes and in the front lines. This chapter is based on the framework proposed by Martinez-Jimenez. It discusses the research findings, suggests a research framework to be used for future research directions, and offers practical insights for family business scholars and practitioners. It presents a review of literature on women in family business. The chapter presents the main contributions to obstacles that hinder women from being involved in family businesses' top management and governance roles. It explores the drivers that favor such women participation.
