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Mompreneur: Belittling or Empowering?
By: Donna Ray Berkelhammer. This was posted Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
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I’ve been involved in Twitter discussion about the word “Mompreneur” based on this article at Forbes.com. The article posits that women-led businesses have a tough time getting capitalized, especially if their products or services target women or families. @85Broads widened the discussion to whether there is a stigma to “mompreneur“.
As a woman professional, I have watched the “mompreneur” debate from the sidelines for a few years now, along with the related “mommy blogger” debate.
I am a professional. I am also a mom. I take both of these roles seriously, and sometimes they overlap. One Saturday, I held a deal together by Blackberry from the Museum of Life and Science. I have a magnetic Thomas the Tank Engine set in my briefcase for those days where my kid has to come search titles.
I choose not to label myself a mompreneur or a mommy blogger. Other women in my position embrace these labels. When a woman self-labels herself a “mompreneur” or “mommy blogger” (or when we women call each other “broad” or “bitch” or even “honey”), it is empowering because it is a choice and a self-identification.
But when male venture capitalists, investors, backers and bankers use any of these terms, it is usually to denigrate, belittle or devalue the women’s business. It’s often the new shorthand for “Honey, I can’t give you a loan. You should stay home and take care of your husband, who really deserves access to my capital because he has a family to support.” It’s shorthand for “This is just a hobby.”
Do you think there is a stigma to being called a mompreneur or mommy blogger?
Tags: Access to Capital, backers, bankers, cupcake challenge, female entrepreneur, Female Founders, Forbes, investors, lawyer, Meghan Casserly, mommy blogger, mompreneur, mother, Museum of Life & Science, professional, stigma, Thomas the Tank Engine, Twitter, venture capital, woman entrepreneur
