Conservative MEPs have backed a report which looks at ways to boost the number of female entrepreneurs.
The report notes that the EU is lagging behind countries such as the U.S.A and China in terms of female entrepreneurial rates.
It urges the European Commission to incorporate women’s entrepreneurship into the post-2015 strategy on equality between women and men.
Conservative spokesman on women’s rights and gender equality, Julie Girling MEP commented: “There are almost one million SMEs led by women in the UK, however many female entrepreneurs will testify that it’s often not as straightforward a career path for women as for men.
“Women can often face additional hurdles such as childcare, training, maternity leave and access to microfinance.
“Recent estimates suggest that SMEs owned by women make an estimated £50-£70bn annual contribution to the gross value added by business. Therefore the economic arguments for increasing the number of female entrepreneurs simply cannot be ignored.”
