{"id":42689,"date":"2016-03-02T20:35:57","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T01:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging21.finca.org\/uncategorized-en-ca\/can-entrepreneurship-close-the-gender-gap"},"modified":"2024-11-04T02:08:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T07:08:03","slug":"can-entrepreneurship-close-the-gender-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finca.org\/en-ca\/can-entrepreneurship-close-the-gender-gap","title":{"rendered":"Can Entrepreneurship Close the Gender Gap?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On March 1, 2016, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, close to 200 guests joined FINCA in Washington, DC for an important discussion: Can entrepreneurship close the gender gap<\/em>?<\/p>\n

The esteemed and diverse panelists were able to shed light on problems of women’s equality globally and how entrepreneurship can empower women to change their lives, their families’ lives and the communities they live in.<\/p>\n

\"International

\u201cInvesting in women is the fastest and smartest way to achieve positive, global change,\u201d she said. \u201cGiven that the gender gap is as big as it is, we really do need to continue to promote that investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lakshmi Balachandra<\/a>, who researches entrepreneurship at Babson within the GEM Consortium<\/a>, discussed statistics from a report on women entrepreneurs. Across 61 economies around the world, the total early stage of entrepreneurial activities has increased by 7% and the gender gap between men and women are narrowed by 6%. Equally as important, more women are interested in becoming entrepreneurs around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is hugely important,\u201d she said, \u201cbecause women are more likely to invest in their local communities. They contribute to the education of their children. And they help the employment of others and support other local businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juan Carlos Thomas<\/a> recognizes the power of women entrepreneurs helping communities. As Director of Entrepreneurship at TechnoServe<\/a>, which provides technical advice and support to small businesses in developing countries,\u00a0he spoke about his staff\u2019s learnings from working with women entrepreneurs in the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen are more sensitive to other women than men are, and that is a huge advantage when it comes to running a business. We have seen from research and from working in the field that women are more likely to hire more women,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"International

\u201cTo see a woman making five dollars per day that was able to put a dollar aside to reinvest in her business was pretty remarkable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Rahama Wright<\/a> sees this form of women empowerment first hand. As the founder of Shea Yeleen Health and Beauty<\/a>, she works with women in Uganda who produce shea butter. Though the production of shea butter is a billion dollar industry, most of these women barely financially benefit from their work. By helping these women producers receive a fair price for their products, Shea Yeleen is empowering women to earn more and change their lives.<\/p>\n

A lesson Rahama learned from her social enterprise is that \u201cwomen doing business differently is a benefit, and we shouldn’t try to conform them.\u201d<\/p>\n

This lesson is echoed by fellow social entrepreneur Diana Sierra<\/a>. An industrial designer by training, was influenced by the fact that so many girls miss school when they menstruate. She was inspired to found Be Girl<\/a>, a social enterprise dedicated to creating extremely affordable, aspirational and high performance products that support women and girls\u2019 autonomy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreakthrough innovation is not building rocketships,\u201d she said. \u201cBreakthrough innovation is doing something that really helps somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n

The discussion with an important call to action: despite the progress made in gender parity, and despite the innovations and work of organizations like FINCA, TechnoServe, Shea Yaleen and Be Girl, there is still much more work to be done.<\/p>\n

Watch the replay of the live screening below.<\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/0QcqrwUFAso<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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