Daily Times

Does Entrepreneurship whether social or commercial need women? The answer is yes because poverty has a woman’s face and mostly women are often not “allowed growing” due to their predetermined role in care economy and unpaid work.

Most of the times women are not even empowered enough to even think of their choices and if they are (luckily) they have to choose between career and motherhood. Thus, crossing biological and class driven cordons bar many talented women to think of having their own business. This difference is even evident in top ten countries (US, Australia, UK, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Norway) on female entrepreneurship despite having strong ecosystems for women entrepreneurs. It is interesting and encouraging to note that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have strengths in innovation, new product and technology and the weaknesses these countries share include labor force parity and first tier finance.

There is no singular solution to this multifaceted complex issue in an unfair world where every third woman faces some form of violence with little or no support from the state and the society. The financial independence of women is the first and foremost step towards their overall empowerment.

Despite odds, Pakistani women are breaking many barriers and challenging stereo types. There are established and emerging business chambers too. A sizeable number of women who are freshly graduated, home makers and even living in rural areas are transforming themselves into entrepreneurs. However, there is a growing uncontrolled and loose use of the word entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. This sector too is becoming a slave to the hegemony of the powerful in the society. Younger generation of established business or well -off families is adopting it either as a fad or a hobby. Women-led and women focused entrepreneurial initiatives are not at all differentiated at practice level. Rarely successful entrepreneurial ideas are executed singularly by women alone as usually men as spouses, fathers or even friends are leading them using women for attracting donors ‘attention if not beautification. The ultimate and immediate consequences are maintenance of status quo and ceremonial changes. The most dangerous one is pseudo-empowerment of women. Thus, women who are in need cannot access the funds, information, support and mentoring they need they due to procedural barriers. Startups have emerged as a new subculture and elite academia are nurturing incubators and accelerators. This is not bad at provided it is not (may be unconsciously) generating new steams of inequality, discrimination and exclusion.

The country needs special and urgent attention by the governments and influencers in business and media to remove barriers to women entrepreneurship. This must not be equated as patronizing behaviour but must be accepted a change in mind set challenge.

Pakistan with its disappointing rankings on Human Development, gender equality, peace and security is placed lowest on female entrepreneurship index (FEI ) i.e. 77/77 countries as analyzed in a 2014 report by the Global Entrepreneurship and Development institute. The FEI does not simply measure the number of women entrepreneurs but focuses on a country’s strength and weaknesses in relation to providing conditions that could eventually lead to high potential female entrepreneurship development.

The country needs special and urgent attention by the governments and influencers in business and media to remove barriers to women entrepreneurship. This must not be equated as patronizing behaviour but must be accepted a change in mind set challenge. This means that social innovation and trust in leadership of women from all groups and classes are required. This means that an enabling environment that fosters dialogues and free thinking are ensured at the state level. Foreign governments, International aid and technical agencies like the State Department US, Australian award program, FNF Germany and many UN agencies are providing many opportunities for the professional growth of women and youth especially in the areas of in techpreneurship and social business. The momentum has to be enhanced and space for social investments must not be compromised due to political, religious and cultural biases and misunderstandings. The experts and legislators especially the women parliamentary caucus can play a pivotal role in building up an entrepreneurial culture and ensure that driven women including those with cultural and physical disabilities are visibly engaged through strong legislation that promotes and empower female entrepreneurship and eliminates obstacles

Recently I had the honour of representing Pakistan at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s fellowship for study tour on women entrepreneurship and economic empowerment in USA along with nine other women who founded or co-founded organisations for a social impact in Cambodia, India, Greece, Germany, Georgia, Honduras, Morocco, Senegal and Turkey. I gathered many learnings. The most important one to me is the re-confirmation that the Women-led entrepreneurship is the future of social entrepreneurship in Pakistan, because when a country invests in women’s’ economic empowerment the profit holder is not an individual woman, but dividends are distributed in the household, family and communities. I also learnt that even in US women in general and minority women in particular face pay gaps and several layers of discriminations. Feminists women and people are also of the view that female entrepreneurship is different from male-styled business. For instance, more women face ageism than men. There are always more men applicants for a grant than women because women want to meet almost 100% of the eligibility criteria. Men negotiate skillfully on service fees and so on and so forth. In toxic male culture of unicorn companies, where exponential growth is the purpose the outcome remains monopoly and not the desired social impact manifested as a discrimination free society.

The disadvantaged but determined women must have a seat at the power table and my experience says that they have to do this by themselves with shameless courage and powerful pitching.

Being one woman in the room is inspirational but being there for too long as one is a serious concern. Empowered women empower other women too. Pakistani elite women need to reflect on this.

The writer is a serial social entrepreneur ,activist ,gender expert and former TV anchor & producer. She tweets @dr_rakhshinda and can be reached at founderkafekaam@gmail.com