The country made progress last year in female entrepreneurship, ranking 22nd, according to this year’s Mastercard Women Entrepreneurship Index.
Portugal is the sixth country in the world with the largest number of women entrepreneurs (32.2%), after Botswana, Uganda and Ghana, where necessity is the driving force for female entrepreneurship, as well as after Russia and the USA. But only in the United States do Portuguese women find parity, both in high income level and in innovation in the business drive, the study shows Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs.
Female entrepreneurship has increased in recent years in Portugal, with the country ranked 22nd out of the 65 countries analyzed. The USA, New Zealand and Canada are the countries where there are more women entrepreneurs because they are “the economies in which the ability to thrive in entrepreneurial activities is greater, and also because they have easier access to various resources, from knowledge to financial support,” such as MasterCard Advanced Source.
In Portugal, the same source notes, although “the country scores well in a range of indicators, with the model of governance or the participation of women in specialized or technical jobs, there are still some areas in which it can progress compared to the global average of economies developed, particularly in terms of access to financial products, competitiveness, or the business environment.”
The study also analyzed the percentage of Business Managers Portugal holds one of the best positions, with 37.4% of women leaders, ahead of countries such as Ireland (35.7%), France (34.6%) or Germany (29.7%). Percentage of women in Technical and professional work In Portugal (52.5%) it is also higher than Denmark (50.3%), Germany (52%), Ireland (51.4%) or Spain (49.7%). However, in Access to financial products Among women entrepreneurs, Portugal ranks 31st – behind the UK (ranked 9) or Germany (ranked 11) – and is also lagging behind in supporting SMEs (ranked 32).
“There is a set of indicators that give us confidence that the development in the coming years will be positive in terms of gender equality in companies and at work. Opportunities for women and decisively contribute to reducing gender inequality. This naturally involves resource mobilization,” concluded Maria Antonia Saldanha, Director of Mastercard in Portugal, addresses key areas such as SMEs, financial inclusion, for policies that facilitate women’s access to credit and investment, but also to resources to develop skills, knowledge and innovation.”
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