Women now account for over a third, or 34 per cent (668,670 women) of all business operators. This is an increase of 46 per cent over the past twenty years. The increase in the number of men setting up their own business over the same period of time was 27 per cent.
The stats also show that women are increasingly likely to call it quits on their day job to start businesses in their thirties; the main motivator usually being family flexibility. (Note to companies who are losing good women in the workforce due to a lack of flexibility.) Women between the ages of 44 and 55 were found to own the most businesses.
Women’s access to equal rights, finance, tech and education in Australia has made it the second-best place in the world for women to start their own business.
In the US, 40% of US businesses are women-owned and 4.2% of all female-owned companies have revenues of one million or more.
So, now that women have firmly placed their business feet on the ground, how can you be a successful businesswoman (or human) in 2021?
As a culture we need to understand that women are still carrying the load. We need to be collectively responsive to this and learn how to help one another with the challenges of managing family and business life.
Having been in this position for many years – running a business whilst raising a family – I realise women need to stand out in this male-dominated world; and the conclusion is pretty simple by two-fold:
To me, the future for women is exciting. In recent years, I’ve seen an absolute acceptance of women in business and senior management roles. In fact, I’ve seen our male counterparts actually welcome and enjoy the diversity that this brings; diversity which unfolds innovation and growth.
I’m seeing more and more women who are willing to take the step into business ownership to build the lifestyle for their family that they desire, and they do it with passion and drive, which is very inspiring. This is a very exciting time indeed.
The most successful women in business are:
