2020 isn’t just the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. It’s the year the ratio of female-owned U.S. businesses could hit 50%, thanks to a strong economy, more funding — VC investment in female-founded firms hit $17.2 billion in 2019, according to PitchBook, up from just $2 billion in 2009 — and policies that support women in the workplace, like better access to child care and rules mandating pay parity. Since 1972, women have gone from owning 4.6% of U.S. businesses to a whopping 42%, according to the 2019 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report from American Express and Ventureneer. That adds up to about 13 million firms employing 9.4 million people (besides their owners) and generating $1.9 trillion in revenue. Read more ……