This dissertation research examines the networks (`communities`) of resources that are available to self-employed women as they build businesses. The PIs argue that women have relatively limited access to such resources because women-owned firms tend to be segmented into select sectors and because women face certain spatial constraints. These problems are compounded by perceptions of women entrepreneurs as lacking legitimacy. The study will therefore examine women entrepreneurs in female-dominated, male-dominated, and gender-neutral sectors to understand the ways in which the communities of resources help to create or maintain gender-based entrepreneurial segmentation within a metropolitan area. In-depth interviews and a survey instrument will be used to collect the necessary data.
