Sociologist: Gender Divide Strong Among Entrepreneurs
Figures from Enterprise Estonia show that while a third of new companies in the country are started by women, 80 percent of successful companies are headed by men.
Commenting on the phenomenon, prominent sociologist Iris Pettai told Delovye Vedomosti that women in Estonia's busines arena have it tougher than their male counterparts, including in areas such as securing financing.
"Research shows that in Estonia the prevailing view is that the man is the main breadwinner and the role of the woman is to take care of the family. For that reason, in our country female entrepreneurship has been concentrated in low-income 'women's' areas," she said.
Andrus Saar, head of the social research company Saar Poll, echoed her opinion, saying that women lose out to men in the business world because they play fair and take fewer risks, often choosing areas such as public services, social welfare, health and culture. "The men go where it's more prestigious and where people make more money," he said.
An additional handicap for female entrepreneurs is that they are less aware of new business opportunities, according to Reet Laja, head of the Women's Studies and Resource Center. "A study found that in Narva it was men who most often applied for start-up grants because women either didn't know about them or weren't brave enough to start their business," she said.
Pettai said that Estonia should take an example from the US and Canada where women play a much bigger role in start-ups and there are special programs focused on female entrepreneurs.
Steve Roman