Europe needs more businesswomen
Entrepreneurs are indispensable to Europe’s economic growth and prosperity. But women are still held back from launching their own companies by a range of barriers, including education, stereotypes, lack of confidence and access to start-up finance. The EU is working with Member States to overcome these obstacles, thus enabling women to express their potential to the full. A new network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors will help spread the message.

Ambassadors receiving their diplomas with HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Ms. Maud Olofsson, Minister of Enterprise, Energy and Communications and Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, and Mr. Vladimir Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. Ms. Svana Helen Björnsdóttir is in the upper row, first from left.nnu- og jafnréttismála hjá ESB. Entrepreneurs are the people who have the creative ideas, drive and determination to set up new small businesses: the seeds from which big enterprises can blossom. However, women currently make up only a third of the EU’s entrepreneurial community because of an environment that makes it more difficult for them to set up and grow their own companies. Only about 8% of the female workforce is self-employed, compared with 16% of men, and almost three times more self-employed men than women have their own staff.
“This must change, and we have to encourage more women-led businesses,” says Enterprise and Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen. “This will not only bring fresh business ideas but it will also strengthen the role of women in our societies.” Member States are introducing their own measures, but Europe-wide action is also required. The EU has launched a series of innovative schemes aimed at fostering female entrepreneurship.

Similar developments are taking place elsewhere in the world. In the United States, the number of women-owned businesses grew at twice the rate of all firms between 1997 and 2002, jumping 14% to 6.2 million, according to the Centre for Women’s Business Research, and contributing $2.38 trillion to the US economy. But women too have been hit by the economic downturn, and in October, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined female entrepreneurs from North and South America at a conference in Washington DC, to give a new boost through mentoring and businesswomen’s networking schemes. In south Asia, few countries compile gender-specific data, but research indicates that the obstacles women face include limited access to training, finance and markets, as well as traditional attitudes to their role in society.

Ambassadors for women entrepreneurs
The EU has had an action plan to boost female start-ups since 2004. Although there has been an encouraging upturn in women running businesses in the past decade or so, more needs to be done. The newest initiative is a European network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors. At a ceremony in Stockholm in October, 130 successful businesswomen from ten European countries were appointed by Commissioner Vladimír Špidla and undertook to act as mentors and role models for budding female entrepreneurs.
One of their tasks will be to promote entrepreneurship in schools, universities, community groups and the media, aiming to inspire women and young girls to set up their own businesses. The Ambassadors will demonstrate, through their own experience, that women can be successful in each and every sector, even if women’s enterprises tend to be concentrated in such sectors as retailing, catering and community services, which are seen as less vital for the knowledge economy.

Svana Helen Björnsdóttir was one of the new ambassadors who received her diploma from Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria. She set up her own information technology company, in Iceland, 17 years ago. “When I was young I didn’t know any other women who studied electrical engineering,” she explains. “With a role model, it would have been easier to start my company and convince customers that I was reliable. It’s also a question of acceptance by society.” She plans to take her ‘can-do’ message to other women in the science and engineering sector: “I want to encourage them to seize the opportunity to make their dreams come true, not just to join a big organisation. Most women don’t want to take too many risks, but it’s also a question of enjoying life.” With three sons of her own, Ms Björnsdóttir hopes to convince other women they can combine motherhood with a challenging career. “But you have to stick with it if you’re going to succeed,” she concludes.

Zlatica Maria Stubbs, from the Slovak Republic, has 20 years’ experience in the consumer electronics and automotive industries. She moved into coaching and mentoring as a logical extension of her management role, and organises inspirational workshops for new entrepreneurs. The Ambassadors, from Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden, were selected through the Enterprise Europe Network, an EU-backed business support network. At the end of the year, the European Commission will issue a second call for nominations to the network from the remaining EU countries.

Advice and support
The Commission has already opened a Women’s Entrepreneurship portal, with links to contacts, events and networking opportunities within and between Member States. The European Network to Promote Women’s Entrepreneurship (WES) brings together government representatives from 30 European countries to provide advice, support and information for female entrepreneurs, helping them to raise their profile and expand their businesses. It publishes an annual report of activity by national governments.
(This article was published in the magasine Enterprise & Industry, December 2009. See: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/e_i/pdf/magazine_ei_06_en.pdf)