White and Ethnic Minority Self-Employment in Retail Pharmacy in Britain: An Historical and Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Despite having opportunities to enter retail or clinical practice, Britain's ethnic minority pharmacists display disproportionately high levels of self-employment within the distinctly entrepreneurial business sector of the pharmacy profession. This paper sets out to describe ethnic minority involvement in the profession of pharmacy, and highlights the role that preference plays in their decision to go into independent proprietorship. The study argues that while racism plays a small part, personal choice, available resources, and structural opportunities for business development within the profession largely account for the different work patterns found among white and ethnic minority pharmacists.