Why Women Need Community Business

How Women's Communities Shaped Business Opportunities in the 1970s ... There is a reason women's networking groups have existed for decades.

Long before Instagram, Facebook Groups, Slack channels, and Zoom calls, women were gathering in church basements, living rooms, coffee shops, and community centers looking for something many of us are still searching for today: connection.

In the 1970s, women were entering the workforce in record numbers. More women were pursuing careers, starting businesses, and contributing financially to their households than ever before. Yet many still faced barriers to advancement, unequal pay, and limited access to the professional networks that helped men build careers and businesses.

So women created their own.

Organizations, networking groups, and companies like Mary Kay grew rapidly not simply because women wanted extra income, but because they offered something deeper. They offered mentorship. Friendship. Encouragement. A place where women could learn from one another and grow together.

Fast forward to 2026, and you would think technology would have solved the loneliness problem.

Yet many women feel more isolated than ever.

Entrepreneurship can be lonely. Motherhood can be lonely. Trying to build a business while raising children can feel especially isolating.

Most women today are balancing multiple roles simultaneously. They're business owners, employees, mothers, wives, caregivers, community leaders, and household managers. They are carrying responsibilities that previous generations often shared across larger family units and local communities.

The challenge isn't a lack of information. It's a lack of support.

• A podcast can teach you marketing strategies.

• A YouTube video can teach you how to launch a business.

But neither can sit across from you and say, "I've been there too."

Community creates something algorithms never can: human connection.

When women gather together, whether at a networking event, a coffee meetup, a mastermind group, or a playdate, something powerful happens. We exchange ideas, share resources, open doors for one another, and remind each other that we're not doing this alone.

• For mothers, community provides encouragement during seasons that can feel overwhelming.

• For entrepreneurs, community provides collaboration, referrals, mentorship, and opportunities.

• For women who are both, community becomes a lifeline.

Perhaps that's why women's groups continue to thrive generation after generation.

The need hasn't changed. Women were never meant to build businesses alone. Women were never meant to navigate motherhood alone.

And the strongest communities are often the ones where we can show up as both.

Sources

U.S. women's labor force participation data, 1970–1980. Roundabout Theatre Company. "American Women in the 1970s." Retrieved from: https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/upstage-guides-current/liberation/american-women-in-the-1970s

History of the 9to5 Movement. Teen Vogue. Retrieved from: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/9-to-5-movement-history

Mary Kay Global. "Our History." Retrieved from: https://www.marykayglobal.com

Or within the article:

According to the Roundabout Theatre Company's historical overview of women in the 1970s, women's labor force participation increased from 43.3% in 1970 to 52% by 1980.

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