Women entrepreneurs around the world face a myriad of challenges. Balancing obligations between at home and work, lack of networks, and limited access to finance are just few of the universal problems faced by women in the private sector. Such challenges hinder women’s full economic potential and thus hurt the overall economy.
This is especially true in developing countries where a large percentage of small and medium enterprises are owned by women. Moreover, when women are not fully participating in an economy, they are marginalized and thus not represented equally in a society.
Overcoming these challenges require women to have a voice – and this can be done through women’s associations. Women’s chambers of commerce and business organizations can help address issues faced by women in the economy by bringing them together to advocate for their economic rights.
In this month’s Economic Reform Feature Service article, CIPE summarizes a panel discussion that was held on Women’s Entrepreneurship Day. The three guest speakers – Lucy Valenti, the president of Red de Empresarias de Nicaragua; Lina Hundaileh, the chair of the Young Entrepreneur’s Association in Jordan; and Selima Ahmad, the President of the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry – shared their stories about women’s leadership and importance of advocating for women entrepreneurs around the world.
The key, they all agreed, is for women to engage male stakeholders to challenge cultural, social, and economic norms that limit women’s full economic potential. Achieving these points would produce more enriching democracies that benefit all members of society.
Published Date: March 11, 2015