EXPERT PANEL | Women’s entrepreneurship – Carin Holmquist

Twice as many men as women run businesses in Sweden. What are the reasons for this? And what are the bright spots for more equal entrepreneurship, according to the researchers? This week we ask an expert panel of three professors and one associate professor. First up is Carin Holmquist, Professor Emerita of Entrepreneurship at the Stockholm School of Economics. According to her, entrepreneurship is not a gender issue.

What is equal entrepreneurship?

– Compared to other countries, Sweden generally has a low level of entrepreneurship. This applies to both men and women. That women are running businesses at a much lower rate than men is common in all developed countries. And in Sweden our welfare system is set up for people being employed. Women continue to take more responsibility for the home and children and make more use of parental leave, for example.

Those who argue that it is a problem that women are less likely to run businesses than men are imposing guilt on women.

– Entrepreneurship is not a gender issue. The fact that women are less likely to run businesses than men is not a problem. Those who say so are imposing guilt on women. We know that women are as entrepreneurial as men, but there is no intrinsic value in running a business. It is a personal choice that is made on the basis that you feel you have a sustainable business idea that you believe is viable.

– In my view, equal entrepreneurship is when women with good business ideas have the same opportunities to start and run businesses as men. And we are not quite there yet.

What are the bright spots and concerns you see in the sky when it comes to gender equality in entrepreneurship and small business?

– One bright spot is that it is possible to work practically to support small businesses. The “Nyföreatagarcentrum” (organization across Sweden that provdes cost free advice to people wanting to start new businesses) is a good example of this. They have a system that works, with advisors throughout the country. Another bright spot is that there are women who run large companies and make a good living out of it. The 17 Network is an example of this, and they also work practically to inspire entrepreneurial women to build and own large companies.

– The big concern for me is that Sweden, which is supposed to be an innovative country, does not take small businesses seriously. I have been around since the 80s, and in practice the conditions for running a business have not improved at all. It’s bloody awful!

What needs to be done to make entrepreneurship more gender equal?

– All women-dominated sectors, such as health care, education and child or elderly care, are regulated by the public sector. Policymakers need to review the rules of public procurement, think more small-scale so that it can benefit small businesses and women. But today it is the large companies that get the contracts because they can compete on price. Isn’t it better that unemployed women get jobs in small businesses cleaning hospitals and cooking in local schools, rather than being employed by large chains owned by venture capitalists?

Today, Swedish politics is extremely oriented towards large corporations.

– I also want to see a political initiative with a clear mandate to benefit small businesses. This also promotes women’s entrepreneurship! But today, Swedish politics is extremely oriented towards large corporations. Vinnova, for example, doesn’t do anything related to small businesses, unless they are extremely high-tech. In general, people feel more comfortable in small businesses; there is a sense of importance. In large companies, you are just a cog in a machine. I believe in more positive policy incentives to encourage more women to start businesses.

Contact carin.holmquist@hhs.se

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