Women Entrepreneurs: A Growing and Promising Phenomenon

Women entrepreneurs have become increasingly common in the business world. This IVCJ article examines women's relative advantages as well as some of the obstacles that persist in today’s business environment.

The topic of women entrepreneurs is of increasing interest to educators, businesspeople and government officials. Research findings have shown a high positive correlation between the level of national women’s entrepreneurial activity and growth in GDP, suggesting that countries that are successful in promoting entrepreneurship among women could experience a positive impact on economic growth rates.

In Israel, as in many other countries, entrepreneurship by women is expanding steadily. There was been a rise of 52 percent in the Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) index among Israeli women in 2004, compared to 2002, and in contrast to a TEA decline of 22 percent among Israeli men during the same period. Israeli women entrepreneurs tend to be married with grown-up children, educated and achievement motivated, and they generally have high self-esteem.

Women entrepreneurs: the advantages

A refreshing new approach to entrepreneurship by women emphasizes relative advantages of women and how they can be leveraged into entrepreneurship. There is solid scientific evidence that women, on average, take a broader perspective than men do, and think contextually and holistically. They also display more mental flexibility, make more intuitive and imaginative judgments, and have a greater tendency to plan long term. These female traits are important tools for entrepreneurs.

As technology changes and globalization and competition accelerate, the business world is becoming increasingly complex and dynamic. More business leaders and consultants are drawing away from rewarding the linear, component-by-component atomistic and focused approach to business that is adequate to masculine thinking, and are now emphasizing the importance of system thinking that provides a framework