Entrepreneurial learning, Vol. 3 No. 1, 2013.
Original scientific paper
Boosting women entrepreneurship in Western Balkan countries - critical analysis and best practices
Martina Ferk
; University College of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Management Nikola Šubić Zrinski, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Women entrepreneurship plays a significant role in the development of national economies and growth. Nevertheless, although they represent half of the population, women are still not equally present in the higher management level, neither in the Western Balkans, nor globally. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM, 2012) results have shown that female entrepreneurs are not adequately empowered and supported mainly due to cultural and societal attitudes and access to resources and opportunities. In order to lessen the gender gap, there is a need for policies that can promote societal attitude changes, in line with and training, support and encouraging women entrepreneurs. The situation in the Western Balkans is that women are under-represented in economic and political decision making, employment rates in are very low, and women entrepreneurs are frequently discriminated against when trying to secure loans or credit for their businesses. This paper therefore researches on the means to boost women entrepreneurship in Western Balkan countries by providing a critical analysis and an overview of the best practices. On the European Union level, women’s entrepreneurship is promoted through the European Network to Promote Women’s Entrepreneurship (WES); a women entrepreneurship portal and female entrepreneurship ambassadors and mentors programme followed by many EU funded projects. As a means to reduce the women entrepreneurship issues, this paper has identified the mentoring support as a good means for a flexible, adjusted support to entrepreneurs and her/his experience, identity, whereby at the same time handling struggle to education and training (Kickul et al., 2007; Rute, 2006).
Keywords
women entrepreneurship; gender gap; Western Balkan countries; national policies; mentoring
Hrčak ID:
130296
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2013.
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