New Delhi, Nov 19 (Bureau) Women entrepreneurship is steadily rising in Europe and in India, as more women now opt for self-employment, start-ups and own businesses , said the European Business Group(EBG) on Women Entrepreneurship Day. In the European region, women are among the largest untapped entrepreneurial and leadership potential in Europe with about 15 percent of all start-ups being owned by them, EBG says in a communique released on Friday. According to a BAIN report “India has 13.5–15.7 million women-owned enterprises, representing 20 per cent of all enterprises. While large in absolute numbers, these overwhelmingly comprise single-person enterprises, which provide direct employment to an estimated 22 to 27 million people.”
Clearly demonstrating that the rise of women’s entrepreneurial strides forward is a welcome global phenomenon. “Women are natural leaders. They possess the great ability to take initiative in thinking, creating something new and are very efficient in conceptualizing, planning, implementing and successfully executing plans. Women have the gift of being multi-talented, skilled at multi-tasking and dynamic proving to be excellent taskmasters. As we look around the world, there are many examples of how powerful women are making a difference in every sphere of life from businesses to communities,” said Ms. Rekha Khanna, Chairperson, EBG. “They have successfully created a dynamic ecosystem, strong enough to encourage others to follow the path. Globally, women have been excelling in leadership roles leveraging skills in effective communication, detailing and empathy, which are crucial leadership basics. The gap between men and women in leadership roles is decreasing, but the pace needs to be increased, with a dynamic focus on fostering the growth of women-led enterprises,” she emphasized.
With businesses and the business environment evolving at a rapid pace, Indian women entrepreneurs are also making a mark for themselves in traditional corporate roles and new enterprises that build on their inherent strengths she said and added that according to a recent study, the Country’s GDP can benefit with the increased involvement of women in businesses and entrepreneurship. With new initiatives by the Indian government, which has launched various schemes to promote startup business ideas by women, the number of women entrepreneurs in the country should rise. However, the gender gap and complexities faced by women are critical issues that still need to be addressed, the communique said. Notably, the European Business Federation (EBG) has been at the forefront of highlighting the significant contribution made by European companies present in India. As part of its effort to ensure that the voice of European business in India is heard by key stakeholders. EBG publishes an annual ‘Position Paper’ developed by 19 sector committees highlighting the contribution of and critical issues faced by European companies. EBG is actively involved in advocacy, networking and interaction with key decision/policymakers. In addition, EBG leverages a network of knowledge partners to provide domain expertise and support on policy issues. EBG’s Mission is to be the voice of European Business in India with the primary objective of actively supporting EU trade relations with India, enhancing Europe-India business, being the most relevant advocate for European business ensuring that the contribution and needs of European business are well presented to policy and decision-makers.