After the sudden slowdown in 2020, female entrepreneurship is on the rise again: in 2021 there will be 7,294 more active businesses (+0.6%), a growth that brings the total number of pink businesses back to pre-pandemic levels. The growth is not homogeneous, because retail trade and catering, which are among the sectors most affected by the pandemic, continue to suffer and lose almost 2,000 businesses in 12 months. These data published by Confesercenti, that is a trade association representing Italian companies in trade, tourism and services, crafts and small industry. “Women better educated but more penalised”, according to the article published by RAINEWS, in Italy the percentage of female students who have obtained a high school degree is 65.1% while male students stand at 60.5%. With regard to university degrees, 23% of women have a university degree compared to 17.2% of men. Based on the Gender Equality Index, Italy is 14th behind Sweden, Denmark, France, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Germany and Austria. In 2020, the Italian Minister of Economic Development – by Article 1, paragraph 97, of Law No. 178 of 30 December 2020 – established the Women’s Enterprise Fund. It allocated EUR 40 million to promote and support the start-up and strengthening of female entrepreneurship, the dissemination of the values of entrepreneurship and work among the female population and to maximise the quantitative and qualitative contribution of women to the economic and social development of the country.
https://www.confesercenti.it/blog/8-marzo-impresa-donna-confesercenti-imprenditoria-femminile-torna-a-correre-7mila-attivita-in-12-mesi/ https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/03/imprenditoria-femminile-in-crescita-+-0-virgola-6-percento-ma-le-imprese-in-rosa-sono-sola-una-su-sei–cba573ce-011a-44f1-a6ef-33ab48fc64c2.html https://www.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/incentivi/impresa/fondo-a-sostegno-impresa-femminile