Spotlight on H.R. 5050: The Bill that Changed Everything for Women Business Owners
National Association of Women Business Owners
First published March 2018
NAWBO was founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C. to serve as the first advocacy organization for all women business owners. As this white paper demonstrates, many of our predecessors at NAWBO spent a considerable amount of time identifying and understanding institutional or attitudinal biases they and their fellow women business owners were facing at the time as well as the obstacles that were precluding women business owners from further growth. Their efforts changed the landscape not just for their generation but for the generations to come. Thanks in part to their advocacy, women business owners are now one of the fastest-growing segments of our nation’s economy. When women business owners do well, the economy does well. Additionally, women business owners bring an undeniable mission to give back in their work. Women business owners are very likely to reinvest any money saved or benefits extended to them back to their employees, their community, and other women business owners through groups like NAWBO, making them a great investment for us all.
It is our pleasure to commemorate and celebrate the 30th anniversary of HR 5050. This white paper sets out to examine the environment 30 years ago that led to the need for HR 5050 as well as provide a current assessment of the law’s tenets to ensure they are still in effect today. Finally, this white paper looks forward to any current obstacles or opportunities on the horizon for the women business owner community.