Women increasingly attracted to self employment

New research from UK enterprise support body, Prowess, shows that women are increasingly moving from permanent to self-employment.

Since 1990, the proportion of women moving from employment to self-employment has increased from 22.2% to 32.6% of all those moving.

The new report - 'State of Women's Enterprise in the UK', which is released next week, provides a comprehensive view of the rate and growth of business start-ups, the sectors from which women are leaving employment, and policy recommendations on how national and local government can further support women’s enterprise.

Some research highlights

• women are more likely than men to think that social, ethical and environmental considerations in business are important (59% compared with 48%)

• women are moving from employment to self-employment predominantly from the education, healthcare and community work sectors
• women from the black community (particularly African Caribbean) are among the most entrepreneurial of all groups