Women's Enterprise and Access to Finance

This paper examines access to finance for women entrepreneurs in the UK. While the sources of business finance used by women and men are very similar, research has shown that women start with lower levels of overall capitalization, use lower ratios of debt finance, and are much less likely to use private equity or venture capital. Reasons for these differences are explored, and illustrative case studies are included. The paper speculates the likely impact on women entrepreneurs of the economic recession and crisis in the financial sector. Finally, recommendations are made to facilitate the start-up and growth of women-owned businesses.