Historically, corporate boards in many countries have been comprised mainly of men.  A number of European market regulators are considering imposing quotas of women on the boards of publicly traded companies as a requirement in the new Code of Corporate Governance, and this is likely to compel business to consider gender diversity of corporate boards.

A report published by the Institute of Employment Studies notes that, “Despite long-standing anti-discrimination legislation in the US, UK and across Europe, women still remain under-represented in many occupations, most noticeably in high-level posts.  This phenomenon is seen at its most extreme when the composition of company boards is considered.  In the USA, woman constitute on average 14.7 per cent of board members on Fortune 500 companies; in the UK, women hold 11 per cent of FTSE 100 directorships, according to the 2008 Sex and Power report published by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission.”

Read the rest of the article on gender diversification in Pakistani Corporate Boards.

To share an article with the Community of Women Entrepreneurs, send an email to partners@cipe.org.

Business Women Forum’s (BWF) long-term vision is that the role of businesswomen as leaders will be well recognized in Palestinian society and reflected in legislation, regulations, and financial markets. BWF seeks to empower businesswomen to play an equal role and contribute to their full potential within a democratic Palestinian community and a vibrant, growing economy through leadership training, policy advocacy, and networking.

In order to gain a better understanding of the current status of businesswomen in the West Bank and how businesswomen perceive and experience the business environment, Riyada Consulting and Training has undertaken a comprehensive, quantitative and qualitative survey with a large sample of women business owners. The survey included women owning registered and unregistered businesses, as well as executive women in senior management and/or decision-making positions. The survey explored the women’s perception of the current business environment, their priorities and needs, and their interest in respect to business association membership.

Continue reading ‘Survey on Current Status of Businesswomen in the West Bank and Their Business Environment’ »

Dear Community of Women Entrepreneurs,

My name is Dr. Andrea Smith-Hunter and I am currently a professor at Siena College in the United States. I am writing a book on women entrepreneurs globally and I would like European women entrepreneurs to complete the questionnaire available online at:

www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=042mn6lHBCi2TQSkgfrdFQ_3d_3d

I hope the women entrepreneurs who are a part of this network will agree to participate in this study as soon as possible. Preliminary results from the study will be made available on June 30, 2010. The book, Women Entrepreneurs in the Global Marketplace, will be published by Edward Elgar Publishing in late 2010.

My hope is that the results from the study will provide the world with some additional insight on all women entrepreneurs globally.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

To share an item with the Community of Women Entrepreneurs, send it to partners@cipe.org

Dear Women’s Organization,

My name is Dr. Andrea Smith-Hunter and I am currently a professor at Siena College in the United States. I am writing on women entrepreneurs globally and I want to ask your assistance in having Asian women entrepreneurs complete the attached questionnaire. Through the information obtained, we hope to learn more about the economic success of Asian women business owners. We hope that the information obtained will assist women business owners like yourself, regarding the challenges they face when initiating the start up, or the continuous operation of the business.
Continue reading ‘Study on Women Entrepreneurs (Asia)’ »

Women entrepreneurship is by no means an isolated phenomenon in Europe (and Romania, for that matter). Nonetheless, women still encounter various obstacles in the way of their economic wellbeing, much more so than their North American counterparts.

Prof. Viviane de Beaufort, who teaches Law at ESSEC France and holds a Jean Monnet Chair at the European Commission, is one of the scholars who have been studying multiple aspects of women entrepreneurship in Europe and North America. She has recently traveled to Romania to share the results of her studies in the context of the conference “Women entrepreneurship in Europe – dynamics and obstacles” (October 22, 2009), which was organized by the Association for the Promotion of Women Entrepreneurship (Romania), with the help of the European Social Fund. Continue reading ‘European Women Entrepreneurs and the Barriers to Economic Freedom’ »

Dear Women’s Organizations,

My name is Dr. Andrea Smith-Hunter. I am a professor at Siena College in the United States and I am conducting a global study on women entrepreneurs.

I am writing to request your participation (and your members’ participation) in this study, by having the women entrepreneurs who belong to your organization complete the attached questionnaire. The questionnaire can also be found online at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=042mn6lHBCi2TQSkgfrdFQ_3d_3d Continue reading ‘Study on Women Entrepreneurs’ »

Dear all,

I am happy to share with you a copy of my working paper written during my sabbatical at the International Development Centre, Open University, UK.

In the midst of poverty and social economic crisis in Nairobi, jua kali (the local name for the informal sector) micro enterprises have shown resilience and dynamism. The reality is that jua kali has managed to rationalise its business identity, carve out space in the city of Nairobi, and affect mainstream thinking. This paper argues that jua kali is an alternative pathway to urban dynamism.

Excerpt:
“Kamweretho women’s movement is another indicator of social dynamism arising from engagement in jua kali activities. The women who pioneered the Kamweretho were predominantly Kikuyu business women who were carrying out different types of business activities. Often, these women do not need to go to a bank or plead with their spouse to give them money; neither do they have to visit an ATM to finance an urgent transaction…”

“Is Informal Enterprise a Path to Urban Socio-Economic Dynamism in Nairobi?”

Mary Kinyanjui