While the tech industry in North America still has a long way to go when it comes to women in tech, a report from Dell says that we’re on the right track when it comes to fostering women entrepreneurs.
The Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard ranks 31 countries, comprising 70 per cent of the world’s female population and 76 per cent total GDP, and ranks them based on a composite index of 21 indicators, which covers factors like gender access issues and their institutional and business environment.
Though the U.S. came out on top at number one, with 71 out of 100 possible points, Canada came close at 69 out of 100 points. Australia shared the #2 spot with Canada, also receiving 69 points.
The Canada The Business Development Bank of Canada provides $700 million loans that are majority-owned by women, and women enjoy access to support programs and a country that encourages a gender procurement policy.
While the results are encouraging, it still shows that Canada — and the rest of the world — has a long way to go.
“Canada is seen as an innovation-oriented business environment with few market monopolies and less bureaucracy and corruption than lower-ranked countries — all conditions favourable for business startup and growth,” said the report. “Canadian women enjoy the same legal rights as men, and have ready access to education, the internet, bank accounts and SME training programs. Canada also has the highest average scores for potential female entrepreneur leaders.”
While the results are encouraging, it still shows that Canada — and the rest of the world — has a long way to go. Only three per cent of entrepreneurs are women, and only 21 per cent of people serving on boards were women. Globally, more than 70 per cent of the 31 countries in the study score below 50 per cent, demonstrating a significant growth gap between female and male-owned businesses worldwide.
“Even in countries where women enjoy equal rights, they are significantly less likely to feel that they have the skills to start a business than their male counterparts,” said the report. “If women had the same access to resources and networks as men, and were starting businesses at the same rate, the growth-oriented startups and jobs created would provide a significant positive economic impact for local and global economies.”