Inspiring stories of female entrepreneurs are a familiar part of International Women’s Day. Typically, these portraits follow a narrative arc of adversity, resilience, passion and success. The message is that women are skilled, resourceful and successful entrepreneurs.
However, one thing you are unlikely to learn from these role model stories is how much (or perhaps more pertinently, how little) money the founder pays herself. While this partly reflects taboos on discussing money, it contributes to a gendered veil of silence regarding the very poor personal incomes of most women entrepreneurs.
