’m all about encouraging diversity in franchising, and was pleased to see some new statistics on women in franchising from Franchise Business Review. On the whole, FBR’s numbers point to a clear majority enjoying operating the business, while barely more than half feel their work/life is balanced.
Franchise Business Review is a national franchise market research firm that conducts independent research of franchisee satisfaction, and it recently surveyed 6,400 female franchisees representing 300 franchise brands between July 2015 and December 2016.
As part of the study, each participant was asked 33 questions about their franchisor, focusing on leadership, training and core values, as well as 16 additional questions about their lifestyle and overall enjoyment of running their franchise.
Here are some of the key findings from the study:
Overall Satisfaction of Female Franchisees*
• I enjoy operating this business – 90%
• I enjoy being part of this organization – 88%
• Would recommend my franchise brand to others – 85%
• I respect my franchisor – 84%
• I believe my franchisor acts with a high level of integrity – 80%
• Would “do it again” knowing what I know today – 74%
· % indicates positive responses.
Overall Work/Life Balance of Female Franchisees
• 54% of female franchisees overall say their work/life is balanced or very balanced
5 sectors With the Highest % of Female Franchisees
· child services (51%), travel & hospitality (50%), retail (43%), fitness (39%), sports & recreation (36%).
5 sectors With the Lowest % of Female Franchisees
· automotive (3%), home services (10%), food (15%), business services (16%), cleaning & maintenance (21%).
Work/Life Balance of Female Franchisees by Sector*
• Cleaning – 71%
• Travel – 66%
• Fitness – 63%
• Business Services – 62%
• Retail – 55%
• Child – 55%
• Automotive – 54%
• Food – 53%
• Sports & Recreation – 51%
• Home Services- 49%
* % indicates responses of balanced or very balanced.
Hours Worked/Week: Female vs. Male Franchisees
• 40-50 hours/week: median number of hours female and male franchisees work
• 44 hours/week: actual number of hours female franchisees typically work
• 48 hours/week: actual number of hours male franchisees typically work
Demographics of Female Franchisees
• Education: 41% bachelors degree; 20% high school graduates; 19% masters degree; 17% associate’s degree
• Age: 67% are 45 or older; 34% 45-54 years old; 24% 55-64 years old; 23% 35-44 years old; 10% 25-34 years old
• Years in business 31% 2-5 years; 26% less than 2 years; 25% 10+ years; 17% 6-9 years
Average Income For Female Franchisees
· $63,000