Tackling the gender gap in business

New measures to support women in enterprise have been announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

A range of projects will share in £230,000 of funding to tackle the gender gap and help break down some of the barriers which can prevent women achieving equality in business.

Speaking at the Business Women Scotland and Women’s Enterprise Scotland Collaborative Business Awards, the First Minister said:

“These awards are a fantastic way of recognising and celebrating the great work being done by business women in Scotland. I want to congratulate every woman who has received an award.

“These inspiring women are showing what can be done, but we are under no illusion that it is still much more difficult for women than men to achieve their full potential in business. The gender gap, although narrowing, is still an unfortunate reality. That is why I am pleased to announce Scottish Government  funding for projects to support, encourage and develop female entrepreneurs.

“Without gender equality in business, we will not be able to achieve our vision of Scotland becoming the most entrepreneurial and innovative society in the world.”

The awards honour the achievements of business women across Scotland, whether as an employer, employee, sole trader or in the third sector.

The projects to be funded are:

• Women’s Enterprise Scotland will receive £60,000 to recruit and train a further ten ambassadors to act as role models to encourage more women to start up and grow their own businesses.  
• Business Women Scotland’s #BWSLiveEvents programme will receive £60,000 for events across Scotland to bring together female entrepreneurs for networking and support.
• The Principally Women Programme, delivered by Scottish Enterprise, will receive £60,000 to encourage inclusive growth through the skills development of female company leaders.
• The Ingenious and Enterprising Women in Scotland programme will receive £50,000.  Led by the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, the programme will support female early career researchers in industry and academia from across Scotland to develop entrepreneurial skills to realise the full potential of their ideas.

Background

Find out more about the Women's Enterprise Scotland Ambassadors Programme.