Is Gender an Issue in Your Business? It might be. But advocating for your business is still the bottom line.

(YoungBiz.com) - Women race car drivers? Men who rundance studios? It can--and is--happening today. The gender lineshave definitely blurred, as both sexes are choosing careers andbusinesses that, not so long ago, society seemed to reservestrictly for men or women--not both.

Better ThanBallet
Courtney and Erica Enders are proof that racing cars isn't justfor guys anymore. Erica, now 18, got interested in racing at theage of 8 by following in her dad's tracks.

"I'd always go to the races with him, and I alwayswanted to be a driver," she says. "I was reading one ofhis magazines and found an article about kids' races. I askedhim if I could do it, and he said, 'Sure--this could be betterthan ballet.'" Better than ballet? You'd betterbelieve it!

Since then, as a junior racer, Erica has won 37 titles,including 1995 Junior Drag Racing League Driver of the Year. Shehas also earned enough scholarship money to cover her tuition at aprivate college and still have some left over to spend.

Two years ago, she moved up to the SuperComp category, which isonly two levels below the top racing level. At her first nationalcompetition, Erica was first runner-up, just missing the top prize,but earning more than $5,000.

Since the girls are winning in a male-dominated sport,they've become really popular with fans. Their mom (JanetEnders) recalls the crowd's reaction to Erica'snear-victory at the nationals, which has seven elimination roundsand a final race for the title.

"When you think of drag racing, you think of guys withrolled-up T-shirts and tattoos," Janet says. "We knewshe'd go a round or two, but every round she kept winning. Thecrowd was going wild, especially the women. She lost in the finalsby .003 second to the 1998 World Champion. It was heartbreaking,but we were all thrilled. She won money; there were cameras allover her car. It was awesome!"

Because what they're doing is a bit unusual, Erica andCourtney have drawn a lot of attention. They have been guests onESPN's Scholastic Sports America, Hard Copy, Extra, andThe Donny & Marie Show. They've also been featuredin numerous magazine and newspaper articles, including a three-pagestory in People magazine.

Wanna Dance?
When it comes to choosing a business, James Carpenter might takeissue with the Enders sisters. For the 19-year-old Carpenter,ballet--or at least dance--is better than race car driving!

The Louisville, Colorado, 'trep founded Athletic DanceStudio International in 1996. His company's main business ischoreographing routines for members of competitive dance andcheerleading teams at local high schools.

It all started when Carpenter helped his sister, Jamila,choreograph an audition for her high school dance team. When shewon, word got around that her brother was the creative force behindthe dance steps. People began calling on Carpenter for his help,and soon a business was born.

Carpenter is working to not only build his business but alsospread the word about choreography. "In Colorado, most peoplestill don't know what cheerleading and dance teams are allabout," Carpenter says.

To promote his business, Carpenter and his camp instructorsperformed routines at area malls and shopping centers. After eachperformance, Carpenter answered questions and passed out flierswith information about dance and cheerleading camps and trainingevents.

Ground to Cover

While men and women are making strides and mixing it up in termsof the types of businesses and careers they are pursuing, it'sstill not a level playing field out there. When it comes to wagesand start-up funding, women still lag behind.

Since the 1963 Equal Pay Act, the wage gap has closed at anexcruciatingly slow rate of just over a third of a penny per year,according to the National Committee on Pay Equity. Women withpermanent, full-time jobs in 1963 earned an average 59 cents foreach dollar made by men. Thirty-seven years later, in 2000, womenearned 73 cents for each male dollar. For a complete look atfigures from 1960 to 2000, check out this link for the National Committee on Pay Equity.

When it comes to business funding, there may be a similar story.Getting a business off the ground, as every entrepreneur knows, cantake a substantial amount of cash. Though women are snagging largerportions of venture capital dollars every year, they still lagbehind their male counterparts.

That's why a 2-year-old national nonprofit group calledSpringboard Enterprises has dedicated itself toconnecting women entrepreneurs with potential investors. At theforums Springboard sponsors, women entrepreneurs get a chance tomeet investors up close and pitch their companies in hopes ofgetting funded.

Because data is scarce, determining whether women entrepreneursface discrimination when it comes to lending and other financingpractices is tough. At the moment, only loans guaranteed by theSmall Business Administration report race and gender data.

That could change. The Access and Openness in Small BusinessLending Act of 2001, introduced in November 2001, would force banksto collect race and gender information from their small-businessborrowers, just as they do from consumers.

While that bill awaits passage, women are their own bestadvocates. Yes, gender is probably a factor in doing business, butwoman or man, the bottom line for your business is hard work andpersistence. And that's something that crosses genderlines--and makes success that much sweeter.