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Distinctly feminine ways of doing business are increasing recognized as the future paradigm for business in a competitive and globalizing worldIn most countries, the legal and institutional framework is still either discriminatory or not favourable to women
Resource persons:
Ms. P. De Dominic, Immediate Past President, National Association of Women Business Owners, USA
Ms. L. Krishnaswamy, Vice-President, Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), India
Ms. K. Doucouré Dične, President, African Centre for Women's Entrepreneurship, Senegal
Ms. L. Franks, Founder/Director, "What Women Want", UK
Ms. J. Capt, Focal Point for Women and Gender Questions Entrepreneurial and Management Development Branch, ILO
Summary of proceedings:
Women play an important though largely invisible role in enterprises all over the world. Businesses started by women have been among the fastest growing in recent years, and they have also been responsible for significant employment creation and income generation for other workers.
There are significant differences between industrialized and developing countries in terms of the scale of business operations, the economic sectors that women are active in, women's access to and use of technology, access to credit and other support services, etc.
In developing countries, such as India, women start their own micro-enterprises very much as a survival strategy, whereas in the United States, for example, the main motive is to be master of their own fate. In all countries, women's lifestyle and family responsibilities are normally more compatible with operating small businesses. This may partly explain their lower representation in top management positions in large corporations.
Distinctly feminine ways of doing business are increasingly recognized as the future paradigm for business in a competitive and globalizing world. The feminine way emphasizes reliance on entrepreneurship rather than planning processes, networking instead of hierarchies, focus on the individual instead of the institution, strength in flexibility rather than stability, skills to build rather than to compete, inspirational rather than dogmatic leadership. Businesses run by women are also more likely to offer part-time or flexible work arrangements, profit sharing, and such support services as child care and reimbursement for tuition.
All over the world women entrepreneurs encounter important constraints in starting, operating and expanding their businesses. In the United States, the main difficulty is for women to be taken seriously, but in most developing countries the main constraint is still access to credit. Other constraints include access to raw materials, markets, technology, etc. In most countries, the legal and institutional framework is still either discriminatory or not favourable to women.
To enhance the role of women entrepreneurs, especially in developing and transition economies, it is important to set up alternative economic organizations, create an enabling policy environment, establish effective support services, and foster networking. Some countries or organizations adopt a minimalist approach, whereas others have found it more effective to apply a holistic or integrated approach.
Alternative economic organizations such as women's banks, co-operatives and production units can more adequately address the constraints and needs of women entrepreneurs, especially in contexts where attitudinal or socio-cultural factors are still significant barriers.
Women in business need support services not only in terms of access to stable sources of supplies and markets, credit, business advice, etc. but also child care, maternity protection, and other social welfare benefits. Innovative measures have been devised for the provision of such support services; for example, the SEWA Bank offers not only credit but also an insurance scheme for health, loss of tools, etc.
Recent and upcoming international conferences reinforce the importance of women's entrepreneurship development. The Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women emphasized several measures for promoting women's entrepreneurship as integral to poverty eradication and the equal participation of women in productive and remunerative employment. The Micro Credit Summit scheduled in 1997 in Washington D.C could offer a unique opportunity for making credit available to large numbers of poor women, but the challenge is to increase the resources available and to channel them to the needy. The second ILO Enterprise Forum planned for 1998 should continue to address these important themes.