Women's Economic Empowerment

Modern women want more. It's as simple as that!

Collectively, women entrepreneurs operate differently to their male counterparts. Their lower employment numbers and growth aspirations have historically led to questions of how to “fix” them. But different doesn’t mean deficient — or underperforming.

The economic revolution of European women’s economic empowerment stretches as far back as the 19th century when men went off to fight the war and women, whether they were equipped or not, wanted to or not, were forced to develop new and different skills, know-how and aptitude to take on tasks that didn’t fit their traditional roles and stereotypes.

The battle of the sexes ensued particularly after World War II, when men came home expecting to resume their power and positions, roles and responsibilities in families and business, but many of which now formed part of the identity of post-war women, everywhere. With the advent of commercial contraception and fertility control, women gained vast freedom and power to pursue goals they only dreamt of previously. Over the last decade or so, the break-away has been all the more volatile.

Gender inequality comes at a significant cost

Gender inequality remains an issue in the SubSaharan Africa region and progress is much slower than internationally. Much of the gender inequality in developing countries is caused by the prevalence of cultural norms that favour men. Gender inequality, however, comes at a significant economic cost as it hinders productivity and economic growth globally. In depressed economies and third-world countries, women are often restricted in where and how they can work.