Bravo, entrepreneurs women!

Not only has the number of women entrepreneurs increased, but also the number of companies that are being led by women.

The issue of the wage gap between men and women around the world is no secret to anyone, since even the two countries that are an example on this issue do have a smaller gap, but they do.

If you're wondering what the two countries are: on the one hand there is Rwanda. There, as a result of the genocide of 94, a large number of men died, therefore the women were forced to do jobs that a year ago they would never have thought, that later became part of everyday life, almost reaching a feminist utopia, where a catastrophe resulted in greater gender equity.

On the other hand is Iceland; its path was very different but it became the first country to ban the wage gap by law. This law entered into force on January 1, 2018, where it is established that both public and private companies will be subject to audits, requiring all of them a “wage equality certificate” and bringing with them other regulations such as the equal paternity and maternity leave.

Given that context, knowing that in Rwanda the wage gap is 14 percent and in Iceland is four points less, we recognize that there is still much to do to eliminate it completely, although they are still imperfect examples to follow, they do show a great advance in the subject.

Laying these bases I move to my country: Colombia, where the gap is 30 percent but, in addition, we find a substantial difference in the unemployment rates. According to the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), in the country the population of women is 41.5 percent and we have an unemployment rate of 14.4 percent, while for men this last percentage is at 8.1.

However, and going much further, today I want to place special emphasis on the fact that women are managing to take a more representative role in the business world, and not only breaking through in managerial positions but also in the development of new business ideas.

Also read: Women-only business groups marginalize and fail to empower members

Behind Chile and Peru, Colombia has established itself as one of the countries with the highest percentage of women entrepreneurs, according to the latest study published by the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association, thus reducing the gender gap in entrepreneurship, with very similar figures of women and men entrepreneurs.

This growth is due, among many other aspects, to the increase in the offer of support services aimed exclusively at women, but not only has the number of women entrepreneurs increased, but also the number of established companies (companies with more than 3 years and means constituted) that are being led by women, this means that they are managing to consolidate their ventures, thus reducing the failure rate.

This is a great incentive, taking into account that fewer and fewer people want to work for someone and on the contrary, they want to work for their own dreams and passions, so it is an encouragement, congratulations and a follow-up for all those women entrepreneurs who Not only were they born with that creative seed, but they are also promoting those training spaces where, apart from enhancing those innate qualities for every entrepreneur such as commitment, passion, motivation, perseverance and trust, they are also developing those essential requirements for any business to prosper, such as skills, abilities, and knowledge. Bravo, women!