Business Support For Women Lacking in UK

Nearly half (48%) the UK’s business owner/managers believe that women are not fairly represented in the boardroom, according to the latest Heartbeat survey from Sage.  Equally disturbing is the fact that under 1 in 5 (18%) believe the current business environment in Britain encourages women to start and run their own businesses.

More government support, cheaper telecoms/broadband and lower bank charges topped the list of areas proposed to help address these perceived inequalities.  Only 21% of the 2,000+ senior owner/managers surveyed felt that the government was doing enough to support them and encourage start-ups. 

This despite the fact that the last 4-5 years has seen a significant rise in the total number of small and medium sized businesses in the UK.

Red tape continues to be a burden with more women (53%) than men (41%) saying it would put them off starting a business again.

All in all not a terribly positive picture.  Having said that the number of women choosing to leave employed to start and run their own business has increased over recent years according to data from Prowess.

As Jo Ray, managing director of Sage’s SME business, recognises in SmallBizPod’s podcast on women business owners, there are some positive signs for female entrepreneurship and perception may not quite have caught up with the reality on the ground.

| entrepreneurship | red tape | small business support | women in business |