The Utilization of Women-Owned Small Businesses in Federal Contracting

Computations of disparity ratios measuring the underrepresentation of women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) in federal contracting, relative to the prevalence of similar firms in certain industries. Depending on the measure used, underrepresentation of WOSBs in federal contracting occurs in from 0 to 87 percent of industries. The report highlights industries where disparities occur and discusses how their identification varies depending on the methodology used and on data limitations.