-
 Is
paying targeted attention to women's enterprise development
worth it? The answer is, most certainly, yes! In the United
States, during the years following the implementation of the
Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988, the number of
women-owned enterprises grew at twice the rate for all
businesses – a trend which still continues. Women-owned firms
now comprise 30% of all businesses in the United States, and
firms in which a woman or women own 50% or more of the
enterprise comprise nearly half (48%) of all businesses.
The lessons we have learned over the years in the United States
with respect to women's enterprise development activities – and
what those in other countries are learning as well – are
three-fold. First, while the basic steps one takes to build a
business and the hurdles one faces in so doing are the same for
women and men alike, women do face a steeper challenge in
starting and growing their enterprises. This is due to
differences in prior work and professional experience, levels of
education, their relatively greater difficulty than men in
accessing networks of influence and assistance, and external
social, and sometimes legal, barriers, such as access to
property rights for business collateral or the inability to hold
credit in their own name. Therefore, to encourage the full
economic participation of women in the economy, it is often
necessary to develop specific policies and programs to encourage
women's business development. Policies aimed at SME development
in general frequently do not reach women in significant numbers.
Secondly, whenever such programs have been developed – and their
outcomes measured – women-centric training, technical
assistance, and network development have been shown to provide a
very positive return on investment. Targeted programs work
because they address specific needs and can deliver information
in a way most relevant to a particular group. One size does not
fit all with respect to business development assistance - but in
order to continue such targeted programming in the face of
opposing pressures to consolidate and streamline ongoing
government investments, research and program evaluation which
measures impact and outcomes is particularly important. Thirdly,
it is usually the case that passing a law or implementing a
program is necessary, but not sufficient, to truly engender
women's enterprise development on an ongoing basis. Civil
society needs to be engaged as well, not only for program
delivery but also for the development and growth of women's
business organizations and networks. Such involvement can also
ease the pressures on government agencies related to budgetary
support and program management.
Ms. Julie Weeks, President and CEO of Womenable,
former Chief Executive Officer of National Women Business
Council
-
 As
Vietnam seeks to encourage greater participation in the economy
by its women entrepreneurs, it may be useful to consider
examples from other countries, such as the UK, whose experience
can provide valuable lessons in designing effective policies and
programs.
Comparisons from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor show that
compared to other countries, especially the USA, Canada and
France, the rate of female entrepreneurship in the UK does not
compare favorably with the rate of male entrepreneurship. This
is the latest research in a growing body of evidence that has
led governments to accept that much more needs to be done to
promote women's enterprise. The UK Government's Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI) published the Strategic Framework for
Women's Enterprise in May 2003. The Strategic Framework
recognizes that “encouraging women to become involved in
enterprise and grow existing businesses has significant
potential to impact positively on the UK's economic
performance.” One of the Strategic Framework's key objectives is
to ensure improved support for existing women-owned businesses,
especially those seeking to grow, and also for women who wanted
to set up businesses. It acknowledges the previous absence of a
broad strategic structure for the long-term development of
women's enterprise and highlights the need for distinct
approaches in the short, medium and longer-term to increase the
number of women-owned businesses in the UK.
In the short and medium term, the Strategic Framework aims to
improve the provision of customer-focused government and
business support services. It encourages a parallel approach of
specific women-friendly and women-only support alongside
mainstream business support services. Over the longer-term, it
emphasizes the need for a fundamental change in social and
cultural attitudes to women's enterprise and calls on mainstream
government services to adapt their delivery to reflect the needs
of women as customers.
The Strategic Framework sets out targets for achieving these
aims; for example, a key target is that women owned businesses
will account for 18-20% of the UK total by 2006 (up from 12-14%
in 2003; evidence from a national business survey conducted in
late 2005 indicates that the figure is now around 18-19%). The
Strategic Framework also sets out detailed 'action priorities'
that indicate how to undertake and measure future activities for
achieving the targets. It places emphasis on the delivery of
services by agencies and organizations that engage with women at
the local and regional levels. The DTI is currently carrying out
a review on the Strategic Framework's impact and establishing a
Task Force on Women's Enterprise to continue its work on the
aims and objectives mentioned above.
Ms. Jackie Brierton, Former Development Advisor,
PROWESS, UK
-
It is critical for the upcoming Law on Gender Equality to look
at women's enterprise development issues. The statistic of only
25% of businesses in Vietnam being owned by women shows that
there is an imbalance of women in our business community. It
also indicates a need for further support of women entrepreneurs
to have equal access to social and economic resources, such as
access to market, finance, information and training. In
addition, within government-funded enterprise support programs,
priority must be given to activities that promote gender
equality.
Ms. Pham Thi Thu Hang, Vice Chairwoman,
Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs' Council
of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)
-
It is a challenge now in Vietnam to generate public awareness
that gender equality is not an issue that affects only women.
Inequality is not just a social issue but also poses a critical
barrier for sustainable national economic growth and
development. Women should be considered a core economic force.
Reducing the burden of their domestic responsibilities and
helping women realize their potential contribution to economic
development will require the involvement of the entire society,
including men.
Ms. Tran Thi Mai Huong, First Vice-Chairperson,
National Committee for the Advancement of Women in Vietnam (NCFAW)
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