"There's No Room For Mediocrity": Finding Discussions of Barriers, Resilience, and Community Through a Rhetorical Analysis of Business Media Portrayal of Women in Entrepreneurship

Authors

• Emma Gale Hetkey, The College of WoosterFollow

Abstract

In this study, I use the method of rhetorical criticism to analyze how several business media outlets (Forbes, Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal) depict women entrepreneurs. My study found that media stories about women entrepreneurs discuss gender barriers, aim to continue the allure of entrepreneurship for women, and show the collective leadership style seen by women entrepreneurs to form the audience’s perceptions of women in entrepreneurship.

Advisor

Bostdorff, Denise

Department

Communication Studies

Recommended Citation

Hetkey, Emma Gale, ""There's No Room For Mediocrity": Finding Discussions of Barriers, Resilience, and Community Through a Rhetorical Analysis of Business Media Portrayal of Women in Entrepreneurship" (2026). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 13434.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/13434

Keywords

Women entrepreneurs, resilience, leadership, business media

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis