WiRE News

Global Study of Women Entrepreneurs - 16/02/12

More information on the GEM Report HERE

Please contact WiRE for a PDF copy (fiona@wireuk.org)


In December 2011 the American independent, not-for-profit entrepreneur institution, Babson College released its 2010 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Women’s Report, commonly referred to as GEM.

The purpose of the GEM Women’s report is to examine the drivers behind, and barriers facing, women entrepreneurs around the world.

The research was conducted in 59 economies, surveying individuals rather than firms.

This analysed how many women are participating in entrepreneurship worldwide, the types of businesses they are starting or operating, their attitudes about entrepreneurship and the challenges they face in starting and growing their businesses.

The GEM Women’s Report is authored by Professors Donna J. Kelley, Candida G. Brush, Patricia G. Greene of Babson College and Yana Litovsky, GEM Data Manager.

Through interviews GEM studied the women's motivations for starting ventures, as well as their ambitions for growth, innovation and expansion into international markets.

The researchers also analysed societal attitudes about entrepreneurship, paying particular attention to differences in perceptions among men and women and explored the impact of the recession on views about starting and growing businesses among women and men entrepreneurs.

Some key conclusions that arose from this report included:

In societies where women perceive that they have the capabilities for entrepreneurship, they are more likely to believe that entrepreneurial opportunities exist.

  • Compared to men, women are equally likely to see entrepreneurship as attractive, yet they lack positive attitudes about their own personal capacities or inclinations for starting businesses, and they have less personal contact with entrepreneurs.
  • Overall, women are less likely to venture into entrepreneurship than men; this trend is magnified in particular economies.
  • Women entrepreneurs in less-developed economies are more likely than men to be motivated by necessity, but the gap may be starting to close.
  • In developed economies, necessity-based entrepreneurship may partially fill in employment gaps during economic downturns.
  • A key challenge for women entrepreneurs in early development-stage economies is sustaining their businesses beyond the startup and early phases.
  • Compared with their male peers, women entrepreneurs in wealthier economies tend to be older, as equally educated and as likely to create innovative products; nonetheless, their growth expectations are half those of men.


The GEM report closed with several policy recommendations for promoting entrepreneurship among women, including the promotion of societal attitudes toward entrepreneurship, and in particular, women’s engagement in entrepreneurship; assisting women-run business start-ups by making opportunities and resources available; and supporting women’s business growth with technical assistance and education.