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Women have made great strides to become entrepreneurs. According to the Small Business Administration, women are not only making inroads in business, but also in non-profits, labor unions, and government agencies. "Since 1987, the number of women-owned businesses has increased by 43 percent, with one out of three businesses owned by women." There are still trails into the predominate male workforce to blaze; however women are trying and making impacts. For example, John Steele Gordon reports in Business America, the floor on the New York Stock Exchange is still a "masculine preserve". It was in 1967 that women were first allowed to hold a seat in the Exchange; however, the floor still mostly consists of men. In Gordon's article, "The Robber Baronesses", he retells a story of two courageous women who decided to open a Wallstreet brokerage in 1870. "This was a full half century before women were even guaranteed the right to vote." They were sisters and their names were Victoria Woodhull and Tennesse Claflin. They grew with a mother who was very spiritual and had nine children. Growing up, Victoria and Tennesse's house was as described by Gordon, "nay". This is a term to describe a social community held together by internal antagonism. A French ethologist named, Jean-Jacques Petter created the term. At the age of fifteen, Victoria married a wealthy doctor named Canning Woodhull. Canning was a drunk and was soon dependent on Victoria to make the money. Victoria made her living first as an actress, then when the spiritual sensations swept over this country in the 1950's, when she became a clairvoyant and her sister Tennesse, five years younger, became a "magnetic leader". Victoria, her husband and Tennesse moved to Ottawa, Illinois, where they opened up a cancer clinic. When one of their patients died, Tennesse was indicted for manslaughter. From there John Steele Gordon goes on to describe the terrors the two sisters experienced in town after town. There were male callers in the night and blackmail suits. The sisters’ luck changed when they met Vanderbilt. "Commodore Vanderbilt was rapidly becoming the richest man in the country in the years after the Civil War when he assembled a series of local railroads." The Commodore was greatly interested in spiritualism and had a well-known weakness for good-looking women, and both of the Claflin sisters were very attractive. Victoria gave Vanderbilt regular spiritual advice. A few months later, after being widowed, Vanderbilt asked Tennesse to marry him. She turned him down and later married a cousin of his in the summer. Vanderbilt however, still remained in their lives by giving them advice on what stocks to buy and sell. Ten years later, the sisters decided to start their own stock brokage. Vanderbilt, having no formal interest in the stock exchange and a great sense of humor, gave them a check to deposit and start their business. The sisters' business was successful for a few years. In fact, Victoria ran for President in 1972, however; their business died after their election and Commodore Vanderbilt. These women's valiant efforts are just one of the many successes of businesswomen today. The way they looked upon each other for support is one of the ways women survive a workplace created and run by males. In fact, Deborah J. Swiss, in her book, Women Breaking Through, speaks about the importance of women to women relationships in the workplace. Swiss cites several examples of women leaning on each other and giving each other support whether by positive comments or letting another female co-worker vent. Today women are still doing very well for themselves. Statistics concerning the number of women who will either be executives or own their own business are increasing each year. Women are growing stronger and breaking free from the tradition ways and ideas that the man should be the provider. |
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