Throughout this article, we will delve into the benefits and challenges of female entrepreneurship, addressing its importance, some data, examples, and tips on how to start becoming an entrepreneur.
Keep reading with us!
What is female entrepreneurship?
Female entrepreneurship is when women are protagonists of a business or project, being creators and taking charge of them.
In this way, a striking feature of female entrepreneurship is to have women creating and making decisions for an enterprise and actively participating in the market.
And that's important because with women opening their businesses and managing them, we have micro and small businesses that are more diverse and inclusive.
Precisely for this reason, it is important to talk about and highlight female enterprises, as they help transform the business world and especially the women who lead them.
When did female entrepreneurship emerge?
Female entrepreneurship emerged between the 1970s and 1980s, but the first studies on the subject appeared in the late 1990s.
In this way, we can see that women in charge of enterprises are a new subject.
And that's why it's so fundamental that we talk about this subject and that there is an incentive to consume from businesses led by women, as this is a way to reduce gender inequalities and help women entrepreneurs take off with their entrepreneurial idea.
What is Women's Entrepreneurship Day?
Women's Entrepreneurship Day is November 19 and has been celebrated since 2014.
What is the importance of female entrepreneurship?
Female entrepreneurship is important because it brings more female representation, helps to develop women, and leads to financial independence.
Below, we go into more detail on each of these themes. Check out!
Female representation
When women are in the job market, they face many challenges, such as abuse, lower wages, and even loss of opportunity because of their gender.
But in an undertaking, women are able to deal with a market that is more prepared to receive them, in which they can be their own bosses and enter a world that walks towards the end of inequalities.
Develop women
According to research by the Mckinsey Global Institute, women entrepreneurs spend more years dedicating themselves to studying to improve their products and services.
Therefore, female entrepreneurship develops women more, allowing that at the same time that they gain financially, they also gain knowledge.
Leads to financial independence
Many women remain in abusive relationships because they cannot support themselves without their partners.
But when undertaking, this reality can change, as the woman begins to earn her own income and starts to have more freedom to make decisions, after all, she no longer depends on third parties to support herself.
Challenges of female entrepreneurship
The challenges of female entrepreneurship involve difficulty in obtaining funding, reduced earnings, gender bias, multiple journeys, and harassment.
Next, we talk more about each of these challenges. follow up.
Difficulty in getting funding
All entrepreneurs undergo analysis by the financial institution when looking for loans.
However, due to structural machismo, institutions tend to be stricter when it is necessary to release credit or financing for women, especially for those who are single and have children.
This is because it is believed that these women will not be able to take care of the business while they need to take care of the family, increasing the risk of debt.
Therefore, obtaining financing is more difficult for women entrepreneurs.
Reduced earnings
As you saw above, the average monthly income of female entrepreneurs is R$1,831.00, while the average monthly income of male entrepreneurs is R$2,344.00.
This means that women entrepreneurs are paid less than men, even though they often work in the same niche market.
Gender bias
Virtually all of the challenges women entrepreneurs face are related to gender bias.
Unfortunately, this prejudice is also present in the world of entrepreneurship, causing women to earn less, be rejected by banks, and go through cases of harassment.
Faced with this scenario, they need to have twice as much resistance to remain firm and active in the market.
Multiple journeys
Women who are in the job market often have double or triple shifts. And in the world of female entrepreneurship, is no different.
When they are mothers, women spend about 10 hours or more caring for their children. When they are mothers and entrepreneurs, there is what we call a double shift.
There are also cases in which women take care of their home and children alone, so these women's journeys do not end when business hours end.
Harassment
According to mapping by the Laudes Foundation, 76% of working women have already suffered some form of moral or sexual harassment.
And of this number, 36% of them have already been exposed to cases of prejudice, embarrassment, discrimination, abuse, or harassment, all for the simple fact of being women.
