Women-owned businesses less profitable in U.S.

Labor laws that prevent women from moving up in the workplace may actually encourage them to start more businesses. But the businesses they start are not as profitable as the businesses run by women in countries with more generous benefits geared towards helping families deal with childcare. 

That’s according to newly-released research by Sarah Thébaud, a professor of sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara. In her report, Thébaud rejects the premise that family law should pit business advocates against big government liberals. The inflexibility of the modern workplace deters half of the nation’s population from fully engaging in entrepreneurship, a trend that should make any free market enthusiast concerned, she argues.