The provincial government wants to know why there aren't more female entrepreneurs.
To that end, a new advisory committee will examine the entrepreneurial gender gap in Saskatchewan.
The committee is created and funded through a partnership with Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan (WESK).
“Women help drive the economy of Saskatchewan in a number of ways,” Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Office Tina Beaudry-Mellor said in a press release. “Our government is working to ensure the participation of women in the growth of our entrepreneurial ecosystem through many initiatives. This partnership with Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan will help us continue to do that by examining one of the key barriers to scaling-up their businesses that we have heard all over the province, and that is access to capital.”
The committee will include members of government, entrepreneurs, as well as representatives from the financial and legal professions. The entrepreneurial gender gap examination will take place over the course of one year.
The goal is to help business leaders and the Government of Saskatchewan better understand women entrepreneurship. More specifically, they hope to undertstand the barriers Saskatchewan women encounter, such as access to venture capital and financial support.
In Saskatchewan, 34,600 women are self-employed, reflecting 16.5 per cent growth over the last two years – the third highest growth rate in Canada.
“Supporting women to scale their businesses is imperative for economic growth in our province,” said WESK CEO Prabha Mitchell. “Advancing women’s equality in the creation of economic activity has the potential to increase GDP in our country by $150-420 billion. The endorsement of this priority by the Government of Saskatchewan positions our province as a leader in examining and addressing the gender entrepreneurship gap.”
