More than 150 women entrepreneurs from 16 countries came together in Berlin, Germany for the sixth annual meet of the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network last month.
Women could create millions of jobs if the companies they founded grew at the same pace as men’s.
Tapping into this huge economic resource was the subject of the conference, where attendees discussed what barriers women face around the world and what could be done to overcome them, reports france24.com.
If women’s businesses flourished at the same rate as men’s, they would spark 15 million jobs in the United States, 74 million in China and 1.9 million in France, according to the Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard, which is research sponsored by Dell that crunches data from groups such as the World Bank and the United Nations.
“Women represent the largest emerging market in the world,” Elizabeth Gore, the entrepreneur-in-residence, at the computer company Dell told the gathering.
Although women today create twice as many businesses as men in the world, they face more impediments to develop them. In 70% of the 31 countries surveyed by Scorecard, women are only half as likely as men to grow their businesses and create jobs.
“I usually summarize the problems of women entrepreneurs using three Cs,” said Cherie Blair, president of a foundation for women that bears her name and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
“Confidence - too often, they are told that entrepreneurship is not for them. Building capacities, education and training programs are key, and access to capital. The Lord knows how difficult it is for any entrepreneur to get funding but for women, it’s even harder,” she said.
Recommendations
The meeting reviewed the main problems which undermine women entrepreneurship. Later, Ruta Aidis, Scorecard project director, presented a series of solution-oriented practical recommendations aimed at improving the situation worldwide.
She recommended that governments adopt public procurement measures that favor businesses run by women such as those that exist in the US or South Africa. Quotas for women on company boards, like in France, also proved to be efficient to boost parity at the workplace.
As far as private companies are concerned, they should diversify their management and include more businesses run by women in their supply chain.
Women entrepreneurs could serve as mentors and role models in order to help stereotypes change. “Every girl should have a picture of what a woman entrepreneur is: someone who is in control of her life and plays an active role on the social and economic scene,” said Aidis.
Finally, the media should play a role in fostering more positive portrayals of women. A study by the Global Media Monitoring Project found that media coverage seldom features women as subjects and when they do, almost half the content reinforces negative stereotypes.
