Scotland has the highest level of women in business across the UK

09/02/2020
Scotland is the best UK nation to open a business as a woman

SCOTLAND is the best UK nation to open a business as a woman, according to research by tech company UENI. 32.91% of Scotland’s small businesses are now run by women, putting it ahead of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Glasgow also draws the eyes as one of the top ten cities in the UK for women in business.

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On the other end of the spectrum, Northern Ireland placed last, with just 27.49% of its entrepreneurs being female, failing to meet national averages.

Notably, despite London’s reputation as a key European capital to launch a business from, the city placed ninth in the country for female entrepreneurs. Only 32.88% of London’s small business owners are women, trailing behind towns like Derby and Doncaster, where the figures are 40% and above.

“Not everyone is drawn to the idea of a city where the costs of housing and childcare are constantly rising”, UENI’s co-founder Christine Telyan notes. “I think women are realizing that there are more choices out there than ever before, it’s all about adapting to your environment and knowing where your customers are.”

Notably, the gender gap for small business entrepreneurs also narrowed in northern cities like Hull, Sheffield and Manchester, where the number of women-owned businesses surpasses national averages. This signals a continuing upward growth from 2018.

Counties in the West Midlands have the edge for women in business, with Staffordshire’s female entrepreneurs making up 41.72% of its small business owners. Other regions topping the list include South East England, Fife and South Yorkshire.

Looking at the types of businesses women are running in 2020, the company found that female entrepreneurs account for 76.08% of the Hair & Beauty sector, and run the majority of Gift & Occasions and Wellness related businesses.

However, they continue to be underrepresented when it comes to construction services, running only 4.9% of the UK’s construction businesses. These numbers could point to a combination of difficulty raising funds, the biases female entrepreneurs face and lower survival rates for their businesses pushing women into more traditional sectors.

Find the full report here: https://blog.ueni.com/report-gender-small-business-female/

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