Facts on women’s entrepreneurship in Sweden

Näringsdepartementet


Facts on women’s entrepreneurship in

Sweden• New enterprises: women account for 35 per cent of all new

business starters

• Self-employment: 5 per cent of the women in the working force are self-employed

• Attitudes towards entrepreneurship: 3 out of 10 young women (18-30 years) would rather be self-employed than employed

Sources: ITPS, Eurostat (Labour Force Surveys), Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth


If more women were to start and run businesses it…

• strengthen Swedish economy and development

• would increase the number of women that can be recruited as board members and managing directors

• could lead to increased diversity in the service sector, such as health care and education, that is now partly opened up for private competition


• General actions

• Targeted actions

How is it promoted?

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• Abolishment of wealth tax

• Tax relief for household services

• Work in order to reduce the administrative burdens on companies with 25 percent by 2010

• Strengthening the incentives to employ

Some general actions


• Promoting entrepreneurship in the health care and nursing sector

• Increasing the maximum level of micro-loans

• Improving the social security system for entrepreneurs

• Investigating the possibility to introduce a new form of limited liability company with simpler regulation and lower equity requirements


• National programme

• Research

• Improved statistics

• Ambassadors for women’s enterprise

• Measures to increase the number of women as board members

Targeted actions


National programme to promote women’s enterpriseObjective: More business starts among women and increased growth in companies run by women

Budget: 100 million SEK a year, 2007-2009

National coordinator: Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.


1) Information, advice and business development

2) Actions in existing entrepreneurial programmes

3) Development of financial opportunities

4) Attitudes and role models

The national programme

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1. Information, advice and business development

• Business and innovation development measures at regional level

• Training of business advisers

• Development of internet-based services

• Start-up days


• Ownership-change programme

• National entrepreneurial programme

• National mentorship programme

2. Actions in existing entrepreneurial programmes


• Innovation financing

• Business angel networks

• Analysis of the government supply of capital

• Service innovation contest

3. Development of financial opportunities


• Making women’s enterprise more visible

• Promoting business women as role models

• Make existing actors and networks available for more business women

4. Attitudes and role models


• Role models for women’s enterprise

• 880 business women from all parts of Sweden, who represent a great variety of branches

• They are to inspire others by sharing their stories and experiences as entrepreneurs

Ambassadors for women’s enterprise


Increased knowledge about women’s enterprise

• Research programme 2007–2009

• Improved access to sex-disaggregated company statistics

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Board member programme for women

200 women will be part of a mentorship programme and will be given a grant for further studies


For more information about… • … the programme: www.tillvaxtverket.se

• … the ambassadors: www.ambassadorer.se

• … the research: www.vinnova.se

• … the board member programme for women: www.almi.se

• Overall information on the government's work for women's enterprise: www.regeringen.se/foretagande

• Contact person at the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and CommunicationSoledad Aguilar Oddershede, [email protected]

Facts on women’s entrepreneurship in Sweden

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