Brazil women outnumber men in opening up new businesses

Brazilian women outnumber men in founding new businesses; as for already established firms, however, the amount of men surpasses that of women. The figures can be found in a survey entitled Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2016, coordinated by the Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Businesses (SEBRAE) and the Brazilian Quality and Productivity Institute (IBQP).

The study found that the 15.4% of Brazilian women are entrepreneurs, whereas male entrepreneurs totaled 12.6% of men in 2016. The rate of established entrepreneurs—those running a business for longer than three years and a half—was reported at 19.6% of men and 14.3% of women.

The survey also found that women start a business out of need more often than men do—48% of female entrepreneurs said they started an enterprise because they had to. Their male counterparts, however, added up to 37%.

SEBRAE head Guilherme Afif Domingos said that, in times of crisis, entrepreneurship is the way to go for a number of Brazilians who lost their job or seek extra income. With regards to women, he notes that the solution may be more feasible than a job with a fixed schedule, since many have to work two shifts.

Marcelo Minutti, entrepreneurship and innovation professor at the IBMEC Economic and Finance School, sees women's bigger presence in new businesses as positive. He believes that this comes as a result of empowerment, and argues that the number of women managing established businesses will also rise over time.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira