The report looks at the development of woman entrepreneurship in Norway and the distinctive traits of those who start up their own business. It also identifies several actions public authorities can apply in order to stimulate more women to start their own businesses

Despite the fact that the Norwegian culture is characterized by more equality than the cultures of many other developed countries, the proportion of women to men among entrepreneurs is no higher.

The report, which relies primarily on existing research and already established sets of data, found that social interaction influences women’s entrepreneurship and innovation activity profoundly. Recent studies show that exposure to innovation during childhood has a significant effect on children’s inclination to become an innovator. These exposure factors are particularly strong for girls. It is especially interesting to observe that women are more inclined to become innovators within a specific technological area if they grew up in an area with several female (but not male) innovators within the same area of technology. Moreover, the report found that women face greater demands through screening and information requirements than do men when they want to seek capital. The different language and male dominance in the financial world can also affect the likelihood that good projects proposed by female entrepreneurs will acquire financing.

In order to stimulate increased female entrepreneurship with a potential for scalability and growth, the report presents four concrete proposals for initiatives that public policymakers should consider when designing future policies:

  • Establish more comprehensive female mentoring schemes
  • Establish a government-supported women’s investment fund
  • Remove competitive disadvantages in businesses where women often operate as entrepreneurs
  • Establish a scheme for commercialization leave at universities and colleges

Read the full study here.

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.