The Portal of Knowledge for Women in Entrepreneurship (PCFE), which is run by the Diversity Institute at Ryerson University, recently released its report. The state of women’s entrepreneurship in Canada 2021 Focus on the realities of black and Indigenous women entrepreneurs, as well as intersectionality in the context of the pandemic.

“Our findings highlight the profiles and challenges of women entrepreneurs from diversity,” according to the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Diversity Institute, Sabine Somare.

“But also about the opportunity to advance women’s entrepreneurship as an essential contribution to our sustainable economy.”

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The institute’s report highlights several revealing statistics:

• Female entrepreneurs are younger and better educated than male entrepreneurs.
• 37% of women entrepreneurs are self-employed.
• Only 15% of women entrepreneurs own a registered company.
• 92% of companies run by women have fewer than 20 employees.

Double business women

“Due to their sector of activity and lack of financial resources, female entrepreneurs are more vulnerable than male entrepreneurs… who have easy access to capital,” says Sabine Somare.