More women are inclined to lead social enterprises than conventional business ventures

With most working sectors favouring men in terms of employment opportunities, social enterprises are successfully employing and sustaining an equal number of women. According to a report by The Guardian, 38% of social ventures are currently led by women as compared to other organizations where there are twice as many men.

To understand why the structure of a social enterprise appeals more to women, The Guardian analyses the basic factors that differentiate the way a man and women approach start-up ventures. This would further help identify the measures that can be taken to initiate more women into business ventures that are currently male dominated.

The traits required to excel in social enterprises include good communication skills, passion, innovation, resourcefulness and leadership skills amongst others. Since all of these required qualities are gender neutral, this could be one of the reasons behind more and more women choosing to work for social enterprises rather than traditional business organizations.

Still men and women have different approaches to work. Where men are more focused on the profitmaking side of the business, they also tend to have unreal monetary growth expectations from their businesses. They are also high risk takers. Women on the other hand, usually look for low-risk ventures with money not being a primary concern. They are also more likely to offer more employee-friendly benefits and be flexible employers.

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A major issue that women face, a lot more than men do, is having an access to finance. The Guardian reveals that 45% of women reported to having had a problem with their start-up. As a result more men than women, receive support from venture capitalists, which in turn helps them have better financial back-up than women.

According to the RBS Women in Enterprise report, due to the lack of funds and an absence of role-models to look up to, women tend to be low on confidence when starting up a business venture.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/social-enterprise-network/women-in-leadership-blog/2013/oct/23/why-more-women-leading-social-business