Women entrepreneurs
The participation of women in business life as entrepreneurs has been increasing in recent years. If in 2000 the proportion of women starting firms was barely in double digits, it has exceeded one-fifth in recent years.
In the statistics shown below, we define an entrepreneur as the CEO of a new firm that also controls at least 50% of the firm's equity.
The number and proportion of entrepreneurs
The absolute number of female entrepreneurs has been increasing significantly in recent years. The increase in both groups of entrepreneurs after 2011 is linked to the decrease in the minimum capital required to start a limited liability firm and lower auditing requirements. There is also some volatility coming from the Covid shock.
The proportion of female entrepreneurs has been on an upward trend throughout the period; it is higher than the proportion of women CEOs in established firms and double that of women CEOs in established large firms.
The age of entrepreneurs
It is generally thought that entrepreneurs are young. Indeed, older populations have been found to be associated with lower entrepreneurship rates.
However, the age profile of people starting new firms spans a wide range, and the average age is above 40. There are no significant differences in age between male and female entrepreneurs, and the average age has remained quite stable over time.
Firm characteristics
The size of the firms started by male and female entrepreneurs tends to be fairly similar.
On average, firms started by male entrepreneurs seem more profitable than those started by female entrepreneurs, but the difference has narrowed in recent years. The survival rates and growth rates of the two groups of firms during their first 5 years are similar.