Women Entrepreneurs: Statistics and Trends
Reports, Studies and Links
The following reports, statistics and trends point to the significant impact that women entrepreneurs are having on the BC economy. With enhanced services, tools, technologies and networking opportunities, such as those offered by Women's Enterprise Centre and our partners, many barriers to small business ownership are being removed, paving the way for significant opportunities in the decades to come.
A quarter million women forecast to run small businesses
in BC by 2015
Presentation by Laurel Douglas, CEO, Women's Enterprise Centre - It's
fitting that this year, the theme for International Women's Day is
"Women in decision making: Meeting challenges, creating change."
Read presentation here
Province of BC / Western Economic Diversification - B.C. Small Business Profile 2005
In 2004, 98% of all businesses in BC were small businesses. Micro-businesses (those with fewer than 3 employees) comprised 83 per cent of small businesses. Read more here
Canadian Women in Business: Impact on the Economy
The Prime Minister's Task Force on Women Entrepreneurs The Task force
was created to advance the contribution of women entrepreneurs to
the Canadian economy. Women entrepreneurs applaud the fact that, for
the first time in Canada, the task force has provided an important
platform to listen to their concerns. Read more here
How are Women Faring in the Entrepreneurial Economy?
May 1, 2003 by Karen D. Hughes - Associate Professor at The University
of Alberta
How have women contributed to the growth of an entrepreneurial economy?
Why are women starting their own businesses in such numbers? What sectors
are they entering? How satisfied are they with their work?
Read more here.
How many small business entrepreneurs are women?
Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey reports there were 866 000 self-employed women in Canada in 2005, accounting for about one third of all self-employed persons. Read
more here
Women Entrepreneurs: Leading the Charge
The number of employed women has been steadily climbing, and the number of selfemployed women has been rising even faster. Over the past 15 years, the number of female employees rose by 30%, more than double the pace seen among male employees. But this impressive growth is dwarfed by the dazzling 50% growth seen among women who were self-employed 1 during the same period. Read
more here
Sustaining the Momentum: An Economic Forum on Women Entrepreneurs
This forum's objectives were
to share leading-edge research about women entrepreneurs, to examine government
support for women business owners, and to identify gaps in research and public policy.
The Forum also sought to further the work of the Prime Minister’s Task Force on
Women Entrepreneurs. Read
more here
Female Entrepreneurs: Business Characteristics
45 percent of all SMEs have at least one female owner. For 34 percent of all SMEs, women hold 50 percent ownership or more. Read
more here
New Canadians Expected to Drive Next Generation of
SMEs
This RBC report concludes that the generation of entrepreneurs that
will emerge over the next 10 to 20 years will represent the biggest
shift in the makeup of Canada's business community since the beginning
of the 20th century. The new group is comprised of higher educated
owners, more women and visible minorities, including new Canadians. For
the report in full click here (pdf file)
Exploring Motivation and Success Among Canadian Women Entrepreneurs
Canadian women’s entrance into self-employment and small business ownership in recent years has been nothing short of dramatic. In a relatively short period of time, they have established themselves as a formidable presence, contributing an estimated $18 billion to the Canadian economy and attracting much attention from policy makers and academic researchers alike... Read Karen Hughes study here
