This book documents the changes in women-owned businesses over time, explores disparities in the characteristics of businesses owned by women as compared to those owned by men, and discusses potential reasons for these disparities and the different outcomes that are associated with them. The focus is on proprietorships, partnerships, or any type of privately-held corporation with one or more owners. The growth of women-owned businesses, and their performance as job creators at a time when other privately-held businesses were losing jobs, testifies to the importance of women-owned businesses to the economy.