The article presents the results of a sociological study of the typical characteristics of the social portrait of a business woman in the city of Lipetsk, whose role is essential in solving social and economic problems in the region. In the theoretical model of the subject of the study, business women are both women entrepreneurs and women in leadership positions in various spheres of human activity. Processing of the survey results allowed to evaluate the structure of the working day and typical working week of a business woman. In most cases, a business woman is an experienced specialist with higher education at the age of 31-50 years. The average business woman at work: wants to be as independent as possible, works with an average level of tension, not to be associated with financial risks, to manage the organization at a good level and to show, at the same time, a high level of responsibility for success and failures, to establish an average level of intensity of work in the organization and try to avoid potential legal risks. Most businesswomen are satisfied with the performance of management functions and work. Business women in Lipetsk are characterized by a high level of social and political activity. Active business activity significantly broadens the horizons of a business woman, and she has a need to expand professional competencies. The authors determine an actual set of disciplines which the business woman wants to master. According to businesswomen, the balance of family life and professional activity is achieved through an optimal combination of levels of intensity of work and family responsibilities. The research results allowed to quantify how the optimal professional and life strategies of a business woman of a regional center are formed. Information for citation: Shmarion, Yu. V. and Belokopytova, Ek. N. (2018), “A social portrait of a business woman”, Research Result. Sociology and management, 4 (4), 38-51, DOI: 10.18413/2408-9338-2018-4-4-0-4