Part 1: Introduction - the starting point of research, background for the study, on the concepts of self-employment and entrepreneurship, some general features of the waged workforce and the self-employed, general notes on women's labour force participation and self-employment the research setting - the aims and objectives of the study, the nature of the study and the empirical data material used, the structure of the study. Part 2: gender - why and how? methodological standpoint for the study - why study gender methodological point of departure, shifting definitions - gender and patriarchy as analytical categories, concluding remarks - how to study gender? concepts and theories of self-employment and entrepreneurship - traditional points of departure, the entrepreneur in classical economic theory - the invisible hand in the economy?, the entrepreneur in sociological research, research on women's entrepreneurship, labour market models - an alternative for self-employment?, the linkage between gendered self-employment gendered waged work, concluding remarks - a fragmented picture the settings for women's self-employment - cyclical changes, displacement, structural changes in the economy, technological changes, new forms for the organization of work, institutional influences. Part 3: the tale vs the reality - a sketch of self-employed women in Finland - women's work and women's business, changes within industries or between industrial structures?, self-employed women in Finland - what do they look like?, the principal industrial distribution and trends, longer hours for less pay?, education and occupations of the self-employed women's business activities in Finland - industrial distribution and trends - general developments and the main features of manufacturing industry, at the core of the manufacturing industries? women's self-employment in manufacturing, development in the service sector - the re-emergence of self-employment, the growth sector of the economy - the modern entrepreneurs?, invisible women entrepreneurs - assisting family members, concluding remark - a more complete picture. Part 4: discussion.