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Women-owned businesses have become major contributors to the
American economy by providing goods and services, revenues, and jobs; |
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There have been substantial gains in the social and economic status
of women as they sought economic equality and independence; |
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Despite such progress, women, as a group, are subjected to discrimination
in entrepreneurial endeavors due to their gender; |
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Such discrimination takes many overt and subtle forms adversely impacting
the ability to raise or secure capital, to acquire managerial talents, and to
capture market opportunities; |
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It is in the national interest to expeditiously remove discriminatory barriers
to the creation and development of small business concerns owned and
controlled by women; |
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The removal of such barriers is essential to provide a fair opportunity for
full participation in the free enterprise system by women and to further
increase the economic vitality of the Nation; |
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Increased numbers of small business concerns owned and controlled by
women will directly benefit the United States Government by expanding the
potential number of suppliers of goods and services to the Government; and |
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Programs and activities designed to assist small business concerns owned
and controlled by women must be implemented in such a way as to remove
such discriminatory barriers while not adversely affecting the rights of
socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. |
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It was, therefore, the purpose of those programs and activities conducted
under the authority of this Act to assist women entrepreneurs by: |
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Vigorously promoting the legitimate interests of small business concerns
owned and controlled by women; |
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Removing, insofar as possible, the discriminatory barriers that are encount-
ered by women in accessing capital and other factors of production; and |
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Requiring that the Government engage in a systematic and sustained effort
to identify, define and analyze those discriminatory barriers facing women
and that such effort directly involve the participation of women business
owners in the public/private sector partnership.
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In 1991, the program was expanded to include reaching out to women who
were socially and/or economically disadvantaged. Under the Small Business
Reauthorization Act of 1997, the Women's Demonstration Program became
known as the Women's Business Center (WBC) Program.
In June 2000, the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development,
Inc. (the Institute) received funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration
to implement a Women's Business Center for North Carolina. The Institute was
one of eight (8) nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive this funding for the
year 2000. Currently there are over 80 funded centers in the United States.
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