Barometer of women entrepreneurship in France: how do women entrepreneurs contribute to social issues?

The women entrepreneurship barometer is designed by the Direction générale des Entreprises (DGE, Directorate General for Enterprise) of the French ministry in charge of economy and finance, in partnership with Bpifrance, public investment bank, as part of the interministerial plan Toutes et tous égaux (All Women and Men equal).

Creating value, and most of all creating jobs, is the first indicator to be used this year. So, 26% of business creations by women have started slowly. Among businesses which revenue growth is still measured three years after their creation, the barometer shows that “women are almost twice as present as men”, while in the case of fast-growing business, there are about twice more men creators.

In the same way, in terms of recruitment, 25% of businesses created by women entrepreneurs have generated jobs over the first three years of existence, which is slightly less than businesses created by men (35%). However, there are more businesses created by women that have maintained their initial jobs.

The second aim is the takeover (or transfer) of a business, which is “a major challenge for French society”. The barometer points out that “it is necessary to respond to the ageing of business owners, and business takeovers are an opportunity to enable younger generations to become entrepreneurs”. In this regard, 36% of takeover and transfer projects are initiated by women, a proportion that has remained stable over the past 10 years. Nevertheless, women entrepreneurs who have taken over a business have encountered more difficulties than men. Negotiating and finding funding.

While women are more likely to choose business takeovers as a means of entrepreneurship, the “propensity to prefer this route to starting a business from scratch seems to be waning in 2022”. It should also be noted that women wishing to sell their business find it easier to find the right buyer than their male counterparts.

The stake of “national competitiveness” seems more and more popular for women: 41% consider sustainable development as a “strategic way” for the overall development of their company.

The barometer also points out that “the environment, innovation and industry represent major competitive challenges for France”. As business leaders, “women are very involved” in these areas:

• 41% declare to lead actions in favour of a more eco-friendly activity (versus 33% men);
• 36% want to foster innovation in their business, which is almost as much as their men counterparts (38%);
• 50% follow an industrial entrepreneurship trend. However, the choices of industries vary widely according to the creator’s gender, with women being much more present than men in textile and clothing...

Another issue is “equal opportunities for entrepreneurship”. This term refers in particular to the vitality of local areas, which has its roots in business start-ups. By “overcompensating for the cessation of activity”, women have contributed to the growth of the pool of businesses in France. In fact, “whether they live in the country or the city”, three out of 10 French women are involved in the entrepreneurial chain.

“Equality of opportunity for entrepreneurship, which is very real at regional scale, is also real at individual scale”. Equality of opportunity at an individual level shows that women are just as likely as men to be part of this entrepreneurial chain, whether or not they have a baccalaureate.

It's also worth noting that 30% of the beneficiaries of the French Tech Tremplin programme are women. The aim of this scheme, which supports entrepreneurs who are under-represented in the “French tech ecosystem”, is to promote diversity so that, as the barometer points out, “all talented people have access to the same advantages as entrepreneurs from more privileged backgrounds”.