Memorandum for the Heads of Certain Departments and Agencies on Task Force on Women Business Owners

Memorandum for the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Administrator of General Services Administration, the Administrator of Small Business Administration

Subject: Task Force on Women Business Owners
As consumers, investors, and workers, women play a vital role in the nation's economy. But the number and size of women-owned businesses remain remarkably small. According to the 1972 Census statistics--the most recent available--the receipts generated by firms owned by women entrepreneurs represented only three-tenths of one percent of the total for all business firms.

In small business especially, women business owners face the traditional problems of lack of adequate capital, lack of marketing and procurement opportunities, and lack of management and technical assistance.

And in addition to these problems, they face the barriers created by negative attitudes toward women.

This Administration wants to encourage women to become business owners, to mitigate conditions and practices that place women at a competitive disadvantage, and to enhance Federal assistance to women entrepreneurs. However, there is a serious lack of current and accurate information on which to base actions in support of these commitments.

To provide this kind of information, I am establishing a Task Force on Women Business Owners. The Task Force shall:

1. Identify existing data on women entrepreneurs, assess its adequacy, identify needs for additional data and propose methods of collecting it;

2. Identify the primary practices or conditions a) which discourage women from becoming entrepreneurs; or
b) which have the effect of discriminating against women entrepreneurs or placing them at a competitive disadvantage;

3. Assess current federal programs and practices a) which have the effect of discriminating against women entrepreneurs or placing them at a competitive disadvantage; or
b) which are designed to mitigate the conditions and practices which place women entrepreneurs at a competitive disadvantage;

4. Based on these assessments, propose changes in federal law, regulation and practice for carrying out the commitment of the Administration, and advise as to the impact, if any, of such changes on the federal budget.

I request that the addressees of this memorandum designate a person to serve on this Task Force. Members from executive departments shall be of a rank of not less than Deputy Assistant Secretary, and members from other agencies should be of a comparable rank. The designee of the Commerce Department shall chair the Task Force. A member of the White House Domestic Policy staff shall serve as an ex officio member of the Task Force.

Executive departments and agencies not represented by membership on the Task Force may participate on committees established by the Task Force to carry out its work. In addition, I request that all heads of executive departments and agencies, upon request, furnish to the Task Force such information and assistance as is relevant to the purpose of the Task Force.

The Task Force is authorized to take such additional actions, not inconsistent with this Memorandum, as it determines to be necessary and appropriate in fulfilling its purpose. The Secretary of Commerce may appoint or designate staff to carry out the functions of the Task Force.

The Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to me, conclude its work, and dissolve itself within 120 days of its first meeting.

JIMMY CARTER
cc: Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies