A senior commission official says more needs to be done to help “unlock” the entrepreneurial skills of women.
Addressing a Brussels seminar on Tuesday, Joanna Drake called for specific action to provide “mentoring” skills and “support systems” in order to encourage more women to become entrepreneurs.
Drake, a director in the commission for the promotion of SMEs’ competitiveness said, “Women have great creativity, but a lot of this remains locked inside them.
“That is why we need to encourage more women to come forward and become entrepreneurs. At present, many could be deterred from doing so because of the obvious demands of trying to balance a career with family life.”
What she called “psychological support” could help give women the extra push that was often needed to get them into the world of business.
“This is where the EU comes in by helping to provide the necessary support networks.”
Drake, speaking at a smallbusinesseurope event, also voiced concern at “stagnation” in the number of entrepreneurs in Europe, both men and women.
“Latest polls suggest this figure remains pretty stagnant at about 45 per cent,” she said.
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