So women aren’t asking for outside investments as often as men – what does that really tell us? Women are shy? I don’t think so. Perhaps we need to look at why women are starting businesses and the types of businesses they are starting.

The explosive growth of women starting their own businesses reflects a need by women to take control of their future. For many, it is also to find flexibility so that they can attend to their many competing responsibilities and interests. While kids are the largest such demand it is not just parenting but ailing parents and philanthropic interests that women try to juggle. Taking outside capital from a VC or an angel diminishes the control the entrepreneur has on where the business goes. They can’t just grow it at a slow rate to suit their lifestyle with outside investors to contend with.

Additionally, not all businesses are suited for outside investment. Service businesses, for example, make investors yawn. Most won’t even consider it. What type of businesses are most women starting? Services. One of the hottest new businesses is to become a Virtual Assistant, which is exactly what it sounds like.

High-tech (biotech and IT) businesses are most likely to require (and receive) outside funding. Currently, there is a dearth of women in technology-based companies, both as workers and as entrepreneurs. Maybe the better question is: why are women shying away from these fields?

Organizations such as CWIT and NCWIT are working to address this issue. Citing one of the problems as being a lack of role models, NCWIT has created a series of web-based podcasts which feature interviews with prominent and successful women entrepreneurs who started technology companies.