Reaching Women’s Economic Independence Through Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment

Women make up 52% of the total European population but only 34.4% of the EU self-employed and 30% of start-up entrepreneurs. Also, a visible presence of female business angels and investors doesn't mean higher investments in female-founded companies. Despite the increasing number of public policies and institutional resources designed to promote women-led business, the entrepreneurship gender gap still persists. In our pursuit of raising awareness about participation and acknowledging the gender disbalance in entrepreneurship, to contribute to the upcoming proposal for a gender-aware framework for entrepreneurship for policymakers, our virtual discussion will focus on the following issues: What are the constraints that women face when deciding to become entrepreneurs? What factors attract women’s interest and motivate them to start their own business? Which policies may benefit women’s entrepreneurship?