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Professor Jean-Claude Ettinger

Women’s Empowerment:. State-of-the-art in female entrepreneurship in Belgium. Professor Jean-Claude Ettinger. Professor Jean-Claude Ettinger. ALFA Project on Women’s Empowerment Turin 15-21 November, 2004. Presentation Outline. Our country: Belgium

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Professor Jean-Claude Ettinger

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  1. Women’s Empowerment: State-of-the-art in female entrepreneurship in Belgium Professor Jean-Claude Ettinger Professor Jean-Claude Ettinger ALFA Project on Women’s Empowerment Turin 15-21 November, 2004

  2. Presentation Outline • Our country: Belgium • Our university: Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) • Our Entrepreneurship Center: Solvay Entrepreneurs • Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium • Conclusion

  3. Our country: Belgium • ConstitutionalMonarchy since 1830 • 3 regions, 3 communities and one federal government • Capital: Brussels • 10.3 millions inhabitants on 31100km² • Languages: French, Dutch and German • Currency: Euro • GDP: 233 billions USD • GDP/inhabitant (2003): 22621 USD • Antwerp • Gand • Brussels • Liege • Namur

  4. Our University: ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles) • Created in 1834 • Founded on the « Libre Examen »  principle • 7 faculties, 9 schools and institutes • 20000 students, 4500 employees, 1500 researchers • A budget of 200 millions euros • 3 Nobel’s prizes, 1 Field’s medal and several Francqui’s prizes

  5. OurEntrepreneurshipCenter: Solvay Entrepreneurs • Strong link with Solvay Business School (SOCO Fac.) and ULB • Activities in every important dimension of entrepreneurship • Promoting Entrepreneurship: Start Academy, from Research to Business,… • Training programmes: « Creation & Croissance », Administrateurs PME, Business Angels Academy,… • Incubation of new companies (Cap Innove in Nivelles) • Coaching of entrepreneurs and consulting for SME’s

  6. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Outline • Structural approach of international literature • Some figures • Profile  • Firms managed • Barriers • Supporting measures • Networks

  7. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Structural approach of international literature (1/3) • A large variety of characteristics have been tackled • 3 levels of analysis: general, company and individual • At general level: • Analysis of global statistical data • 3 Problems: • Definition • Reliability of databases • Adequacy for comprehensive survey

  8. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Structural approach of international literature (2/3) • At company level: study of companies created by women • Wages level • Starting investment • Measure of performance • Company size • Resources • Partnership

  9. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Structural approach of international literature (3/3) • At individual level: study of the female entrepreneur profile • Personnality • Risk aversion • Motivation • Level of independance • Management behaviour • Lifestyle • Balance between work and family

  10. Female Entrepreneurship in BelgiumBelgian women entrepreneurship in figures (1/2) • Existence of an important potential of entrepreneurs • 2 kinds of female entrepreneurship: self-employment and incorporation • 27% of self-employed and only 16 % of entrepreneurs • 75% of entrepreneurs are male • 1% of top executives positions are occupied by women • Between 1986 and 2002, the part of women in the total self-employed has increased only by 4% • Homogeneous geographical dispersion

  11. Female Entrepreneurship in BelgiumBelgian women entrepreneurship in figures (2/2) • Industry dispersion: • Concentration in service sectors and professionals (62% of female self-employed and 25% of female entrepreneurs) • Very few in industrial sectors (1 and 8% respectively)

  12. Female entrepreneurship in Belgium: Profile of the Belgian women entrepreneur (1/2) • Mature age (62.8% of women entrepreneurs are more than 40 years old) • Professionnal experience in SME before company creation • Family status: couple with children • Presence of the husband as shareholder of the company • Superior number of working hours (50 to 60h a week)

  13. Female entrepreneurship in Belgium: Profile of the Belgian women entrepreneur (2/2) • Highly self-organised due to maintenance of traditional woman role in society • Motivations: entrepreneurs by opportunity or necessity • Level of qualifications: existing companies take-over goes with lower level of qualifications, creators goes with higher one • Training by management courses • Lower level of revenue compared to men • Weak participation rate in networks

  14. Female entrepreneurship in Belgium: Characteristics of companies managed by women • Small size • Due to sector and qualification level • Low equity • Few use of external financing • Partnership with husband • Unclear conclusions about female companies performance

  15. Female entrepreneurship in Belgium: Barriers (1/2) • Financial barriers • Related to sectors and size • Reluctance of bankers • Financial instruments are not adapted ( size, flexibility) • Solution • Information and incentive to women on financing opportunities • Promotion of female success stories aimed at all actors • Reducing bankers bias against women projects • Increasing female Business Angels in BA networks • Adapting financing tools (micro-credit)

  16. Female entrepreneurship in Belgium: Barriers (2/2) • At the personal level • Lack of support from professional organisations, networks, family,… • Risk aversion and lack of qualifications • Time management between private and professional life

  17. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Measures supporting women entrepreneurship (1/6) • Insufficient use of general measures by women • When used, equal access • Specific measures • Interim entrepreneurs • Diane programme • Amazone • SOFIA • « Feminin Pme » • « Femmes d’affaires, affaires de femmes » • WomEn2FP6

  18. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Measures supporting women entrepreneurship (2/6) • Interim entrepreneurs (2001): • Provision of interim entrepreneurs for replacement during family occupation • More flexibility for women entrepreneurs (better balance between private and professional life) • 55 (out of 250 candidates) future interim entrepreneurs trained in the 1st edition of the programme • Adaptation of social status

  19. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Measures supporting women entrepreneurship (3/6) 2. Diane actions programme (Equal, 2002) •  4 kind of activities • Increase of knowledge • Dissemination of best practices in Women's Entrepreneurship in a series of key areas • Promotion of exchange activities between female entrepreneurs in Europe • Diane 2 is considered • Mentoring programme • Training programme • Improving of women image in the media • Integration of women in mixed networks

  20. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Measures supporting women entrepreneurship (4/6) 3. Amazone (1995) • National information platform about women empowerment (www.amazone.be) • A diffusion tool for Diane programme 4. SOFIA (2000-2002) • Women entrepreneurs meetings • Exchange of experiences and training • 80 participants in 4 European cities and coached by 16 mentors

  21. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Measures supporting women entrepreneurship (5/6) 5. « Féminin PME » (2002) • Exchange of experiences • Coaching of projects and training • « Femmes d’affaires, affaires de femmes » (2004) • Micro-credit for women entrepreneurs • Organization of exchange meetings in small groups of borrowers

  22. Female Entrepreneurship in Belgium:Measures supporting women entrepreneurship (6/6) 7. WomEn2FP6 (2004) • Goals: • Informing women entrepreneurs on the opportunities of the Sixth Framework R/D Programme of the European Commission • Training on application fullfilment • Support to participants • Creation of a support bodies network • The Sixth Framework Programme provides grants to European companies and research centres to carry out collaborative projects • Focus on different sectors

  23. Female entrepreneurship in Belgium: Networks (1/2) • Several networks already exist in Belgium • Barriers to development: • Lack of time • Lack of information • Lack of interest • Main networking motivation • Access to knowledge • Business development

  24. Female entrepreneurship in Belgium: Networks (2/2) • Mixed or 100% female networks? • Trends in both ways • Mixed: more consistent with the real world • Specific: mutual support but risk of isolation • Solution: some specific female topics within a mixed network • Importance perception to be developed among women • Importance of appointing women in the networks management team

  25. Conclusion • A huge potential of development for female entrepreneurship • Traditional model remains strong • A lot of initiatives but not always appropriate • Development of customized support tools   • Necessary contribution of university • Cultural change • Appropriate education • Female entrepreneurial behaviour development • Mobilization of all supporting actors

  26. Thank you for your attention

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