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Determines whether gender or other factors account for the export behaviour of small and medium‐sized enterprises in New Brunswick, Canada. Suggests that, although gender does play a role in the nature of small or medium‐sized enterprises in New Brunswick, it is not the primary determinant of export behaviour.

During the late 1970s and 1980s unprecedented numbers of women managers attempted to reach the top of corporate hierarchies. Evaluation of their progress suggests that, in spite of the proliferation of programmes and books aimed at women managers, women rarely attain executive level positions. Indeed, currently, there is evidence in the literature to suggest that they are “giving up the fight” and “dropping out of the race”. The research related to this “dropout” syndrome, the implications of this research, and the challenges it presents to management educators are considered.

Compares exporting and non‐exporting female entrepreneurs regarding their information about export markets, their perceptions of the usefulness of export market information and the helpfulness of government export stimulation programmes. Identifies the formats which women entrepreneurs believe to be most helpful in obtaining information about exporting their products and services. Results suggest that, in New Brunswick, the majority of female entrepreneurs do not export their products and services. Furthermore, they do not plan to enter the export market in the future. Their businesses, are for the most part, small, non‐technology‐based, labour intensive, or cottage‐craft industries. They are relatively new, with few employees, and have low annual sales revenues. However, they also have low overhead expenses and the owners have the freedom to co‐ordinate their business activities around their family life and responsibilities. These findings suggest that, rather than export stimulation programmes, the majority of female entrepreneurs in New Brunswick are more interested in and would benefit more, at this time, from product or service quality improvement programmes. They want to learn more about the characteristics of their local domestic market in order to penetrate those markets further. Likewise, most female‐owned (non‐exporting) businesses in New Brunswick need to be brought to a level of “export readiness”. Finally, those few female entrepreneurs who are exporting need access to market intelligence, information on how to improve their exporting strategies and tactics, and on how to maintain the competitive edge in world markets.

Employment of Urban Chinese Women Volume Lll, Number 1 of theReview of Social Economy includes an article by Gale Summerfield enrided “Effects of the Changing Employment Situation on Urban Chinese Women”.

Volume 15 Number 4 of Industrial & Social Relations includes an article by Catherine O'Regan and Clive Thompson entitled “Collective Bargaining and the promotion of equality for women in South Africa”.