The institute commissioned JUMP, an organisation that assists women to develop their professional careers, to survey 45,000 professionally active women across Belgium. The survey results highlight some interesting discrepancies and trends that stand in stark contrast with many deeply rooted perceptions of what it means to be an entrepreneur in Belgium.

It may come as a surprise to many entrepreneurs, but Belgium is listed among the top- scoring European countries when it comes to entrepreneurship and the ease of doing business. But the lack of female entrepreneurs speaks of a different reality: a mere 2.91% of Belgian women have started their own business, while 7.91% of women in surrounding countries have done so. And, while almost half of all independent salespersons (merchants) in Belgium are women, only one in three entrepreneurs is a woman.

Women and men also start business with vastly different priorities. For men, growth remains a key business objective, while women see their dominant needs as professional independence, personal fulfilment and work flexibility.

The genders also differ significantly in the industries in which they choose to start a business. Women start businesses mainly in the professional- or personal-services sectors, while more lucrative sectors such as technology and industrial production remain significantly lacking in female entrepreneurs. Women also frequently invest less capital in their businesses compared to men and tend to underfund their ventures.

The difficulty many women experience in starting and growing a successful business may be found at the outset of the venture. Some 73% of female entrepreneurs received no formal guidance or support when starting up their business. Additionally, most female entrepreneurs rely primarily on their personality, education and professional network to help them get their business off the ground.

“The study shows that there is a clear need for support for female entrepreneurs,” says Isabella Lenarduzzi of JUMP. “They often feel isolated in their professional ambitions. We need to consider a life-cycle of support systems and tools that guide women through the various stages of starting, running and growing their own businesses.” The study highlights a worrying perception amongst female entrepreneurs which may help account for their meagre numbers: almost half (44%) of all enterprising women with young children think that starting an own business is not socially accepted. The study also highlights the fact that these often highly educated women (70% of female entrepreneurs in Wallonia and 54% of those in Flanders hold university degrees) either don’t have children (73% in Wallonia and 61% in Flanders) or wait to start their businesses until their children have left home.

Ask female entrepreneurs which measures they would like to see implemented and the answer is clear: those that allow them to keep a healthy balance between their professional ambitions and private lives. The most acute need is to receive the same maternity leave benefits as those enjoyed by employees. Flexible childcare and support by other entrepreneurs (socalled “flying entrepreneurs”) in case of illness are high among their most pressing needs. They also want more visibility via a network of female “ambassadors”, a web portal and large-scale events.

“Female entrepreneurs are very energetic individuals who are passionate and committed to their businesses. Often however, they lack the guidance and support that one needs to grow a business successfully. It is now our job as a society to provide them with the tools to help them make their business ventures successful in the long run,” concludes Lenarduzzi.