Paper

Women as Entrepreneurs in Sweden and the UK - Different Perspectives

Promoting best practices in entrepreneurship: Role of women and gender issues
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This paper explores issues surrounding women's enterprise, why women choose to become self-employed, the businesses they run and the methods of financing. The paper compares situations in the United Kingdom and Sweden, and traces the history of women in enterprise since the 1940s.

The paper further elaborates on different characteristics of women entrepreneurs based on the following:

  • Age;
  • Family status;
  • Ethnicity;
  • Qualifications;
  • Reasons for start-up;
  • Location of business start-ups by region;
  • Occupational analysis.

The paper discusses various natures of women businesses on the following basis:

  • Industrial, sectoral and occupational analysis;
  • Self-employment and hours worked;
  • Employment created by women's businesses.

The paper concludes by:

  • Highlighting some of the constraints that women involved in small and medium enterprises face;
  • Mentioning the government's role and effort in promoting women owned/headed enterprises;
  • Drawing attention to examples of working women's networks that help women start and develop businesses in the UK and Sweden.