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Ricerca sull’imprenditoria femminile
Within the European project WOMENT, CIAPE implemented specific field and desk research activities aimed at detecting the key skills women entrepreneurs need, as well as the macro-economic data concerning entrepreneurship from a gender perspective in Italy.
The main results:
- Female unemployment rate in Italy is 13,2%, while the employment rate had a positive trend in the last 10 years, however, its value is far below both the EU’s one (58.6%) and the male one (64.3%).
- Italy is characterised by a lack of social infrastructures and scarce investments in welfare and conciliation services, making it difficult for women to balance work and family lives.
- In Italy 1 company on 5 is managed by a woman. This is a negative element, considering that – as the interviewed experts stated – women have better communication skills, more tact and a stronger ability to build social relations compared to men. Probably they need to improve an informed long-term vision. Analysing the data related to the main barriers to female entrepreneurship, respondents stressed the lack of information about incentives and grants, together with the difficulties in access to credit, due to the fact that women still face a worse treatment compared to men in the procedures needed to create a company (e.g. higher interest rates for a loan, etc…).
- The sectors in which women have decided to invest are mostly tourism and financial services. The sectors offering business opportunities to potential female entrepreneurs are the ICT and those linked to the opportunities to exploit the territorial heritage of Italy, both from the cultural and touristic points of view.
- Regarding the key skills to be improved in order to start-up a new business, the interviewed unemployed women stressed the need to know more about (in order of importance): Marketing, Accounting and financial reporting, Business planning and Negotiation.
- According to the experts, potential female entrepreneurs should improve their own Motivation and determination to meet objectives, personal goals; Passion and Sense of initiative.
- The experts involved in the Round Tables, instead, stress the importance of the following competences: ability to analyse the contest, planning, ability to transform problems into opportunities, project management and self-marketing. Entrepreneurs are characterised by a strategic vision towards the future, self-esteem, ambition, passion, flexibility, determination in what they are doing and in what they want to achieve in the future.
- Regarding the information, knowledge and skills that potential entrepreneurs should acquire before establishing their own business, participants stated that it is fundamental to know the context in which the entrepreneur wants to operate, the resources of the territory which can be easily exploited and the needs of the local contest. After that, a feasibility study, which includes a SWOT analysis should be implemented.
- Regarding the preferred training tools and methodologies, the unemployed consider Stages as the most suitable type of training to acquire entrepreneurship skills, while the experts are more focused on Practical laboratories, Problem-based training and Case studies as the most effective instruments to train potential female entrepreneurs.
- Regarding the best functioning supporting tools at local level, respondents underlined the importance of business incubators, hubs and co-working spots because these instruments give to the members the possibility to build a network and thus to establish business opportunities. Concerning the most useful support services, almost all experts consider very effective Workshops with already existing companies and experts.
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Research about female entrepreneurship
Within the European project WOMENT, CIAPE implemented specific field and desk research activities aimed at detecting the key skills women entrepreneurs need, as well as the macro-economic data concerning entrepreneurship from a gender perspective in Italy.
The main results:
- Female unemployment rate in Italy is 13,2%, while the employment rate had a positive trend in the last 10 years, however, its value is far below both the EU’s one (58.6%) and the male one (64.3%).
- Italy is characterised by a lack of social infrastructures and scarce investments in welfare and conciliation services, making it difficult for women to balance work and family lives.
- In Italy 1 company on 5 is managed by a woman. This is a negative element, considering that – as the interviewed experts stated – women have better communication skills, more tact and a stronger ability to build social relations compared to men. Probably they need to improve an informed long-term vision. Analysing the data related to the main barriers to female entrepreneurship, respondents stressed the lack of information about incentives and grants, together with the difficulties in access to credit, due to the fact that women still face a worse treatment compared to men in the procedures needed to create a company (e.g. higher interest rates for a loan, etc…).
- The sectors in which women have decided to invest are mostly tourism and financial services. The sectors offering business opportunities to potential female entrepreneurs are the ICT and those linked to the opportunities to exploit the territorial heritage of Italy, both from the cultural and touristic points of view.
- Regarding the key skills to be improved in order to start-up a new business, the interviewed unemployed women stressed the need to know more about (in order of importance): Marketing, Accounting and financial reporting, Business planning and Negotiation.
- According to the experts, potential female entrepreneurs should improve their own Motivation and determination to meet objectives, personal goals; Passion and Sense of initiative.
- The experts involved in the Round Tables, instead, stress the importance of the following competences: ability to analyse the contest, planning, ability to transform problems into opportunities, project management and self-marketing. Entrepreneurs are characterised by a strategic vision towards the future, self-esteem, ambition, passion, flexibility, determination in what they are doing and in what they want to achieve in the future.
- Regarding the information, knowledge and skills that potential entrepreneurs should acquire before establishing their own business, participants stated that it is fundamental to know the context in which the entrepreneur wants to operate, the resources of the territory which can be easily exploited and the needs of the local contest. After that, a feasibility study, which includes a SWOT analysis should be implemented.
- Regarding the preferred training tools and methodologies, the unemployed consider Stages as the most suitable type of training to acquire entrepreneurship skills, while the experts are more focused on Practical laboratories, Problem-based training and Case studies as the most effective instruments to train potential female entrepreneurs.
- Regarding the best functioning supporting tools at local level, respondents underlined the importance of business incubators, hubs and co-working spots because these instruments give to the members the possibility to build a network and thus to establish business opportunities. Concerning the most useful support services, almost all experts consider very effective Workshops with already existing companies and experts.
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