National Assessment of women's entrepreneurship development in Georgia
The National Assessment of Women’s Entrepreneurship Development in Georgia was conducted by the ILO and UN Women. The assessment uses the ILO’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Development (WED) methodology and evaluates the state of its six framework conditions in Georgia, namely the legal and regulatory system, effective policy leadership, access to gender-sensitive financial services, access to business development support, access to markets and technology, and the representation of women entrepreneurs in policy dialogue. The assessment is based on multiple primary and secondary data sources, including a representative survey of women entrepreneurs, focus groups with women entrepreneurs, and key informant interviews with the representatives of state, private and international organizations, that focus on the issues of women’s entrepreneurship in Georgia. The main findings of the assessment reveal that women are less likely than men to own a business - women own only one third of economically active enterprises in Georgia, and these businesses are predominantly small. Women-led businesses start independently, and women often work as sole proprietors. In many cases, such businesses employ other women. Many women face the double burden of doing domestic care work while managing a business. The report provides recommendations to tackle the main issues identified in the assessment.