Women Small-business Owners Face Gender Gap, Report Says

Women who own small businesses are still far behind their male counterparts when it comes to getting loans and government contracts, a congressional report said Wednesday.

The report by Democratic staffers of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee found that while businesses owned by women account for 30 percent of small companies, they receive only 4.4 percent of the total dollars in conventional small-business loans. That amounts to $1 for every $23 loaned.