Study of female employment and
entrepreneurship dynamics between
France (Finistère and Côtes d’Armor)
and England (Cornwall and Hampshire).
Isabelle GUEGUEN, Virginie FONTIER, Séverine BRESSAUD, Laure LHERMET
Difficulties
• Lack of data concerning female entrepreneurship
• Confidential data or charge for data
The territories
The cooperation area
Hampshire
Cornwall
Côtes d’Armor
Finistère
Population, area,
population
densisty ,
demographic
growth
1 303 000 (2010)
3 688,6 km2
340.9 /km2 (2005)
+ 3,2% (1998 –
2005)
535 300 (2010)
3 559 km2
145,1 /km2 (2005)
+ 6,5% (1998 –
2005)
591 782 (2010)
6 877,5 km2
82 /km2 (2005)
+ 3,8% (1998 –
2005)
896 662 (2010)
6 733 km2
130 /km2. (2005)
+ 3,1 %. (1998 –
2005)
Unemployment
rate
5,5% (2011)
5% (2011)
8,3% (2011)
8,5% (2011)
Around 15% in the
UK (2011) (earlystage
entrepreneurial
activity)
Around 15% in the
UK (2011) (earlystage
entrepreneurial
activity)
13,5%
12,5%
Urban
concentration of
the population,
dynamic economic
activity
Rural area,
restructuring and
touristic economy
Duality between
Armor (littoralarea)
and Argoat (wood
area)
Urban and littoral
area
Rate of started
businesses
Comments
Table of contents
1. The female employment
2. The female entrepreneurship
3. Profiles of women entrepreneurs and businesses
4. Perceptions and motivations
5. Access to supports
6. Use of the ICT
7. Current qualitative study
1. The female employment
 A high employment rate among women
 A lower employment rate in Brittany, and a higher one in
Hampshire
 A higher unemployment rate in Brittany (esp. in Finistère)
 More women having a responsible job in Cornwall (no data
available for Hampshire)
 Part time work : a common characteristic of the 4 areas (esp.
In Hampshire and Cornwall)
 Women working mostly in education, health and social
services sectors
2. The female entrepreneurship
• Female entrepreneurship rate higher in Hampshire
and Cornwall (> 33%) than in Brittany (28%), 4 rates
higher than national rates (UK >29% ; France = 30%)
• An important growth of women « self-employed »
in Hampshire and Cornwall and a growth of women
entrepreneurs in Brittany thanks to the new status
of « auto-entrepreneur »
• More than 50% of « self employed » women are
working part time in the South East and South West
3. Profiles of women entrepreneurs
and women businesses
Same characteristics between the 4 areas:
• A majority of women starting their business between 35
and 50 years old
• Female entrepreneurs are more graduated than male
entrepreneurs
• Increasing entrepreneurial background of female
entrepreneurs, but always lower than the male
entrepreneurs one
The women businesses are mostly created in some industries
(education, social services, retail… ) and mostly didn’t hire
employees
4. Perceptions and motivations of
women entrepreneurs
• Female entrepreneurship is pictured as :
– An opportunity to fulfil herself, to progress
– A way to manage time
• Women entrepreneurs suffer from a lack of
confidence
5. Access to supports
The finance of women businesses introduced in the
British and French studies as barrier
Identification of financial supports for the women :
FGIF in France and Outset Cornwall in Cornwall
In Brittany women didn’t meet difficulties to get access
to financial support but the industry of their business
and their status can be discriminating
6. Use of ICT
A Cisco’s study concerning the ICT – education among women shows
that more female school students in the UK are planning to study ICT
than in France (48% to 25%), but the dropout rate is higher in the UK
than in France (43% to 24%)
The female entrepreneurship rate reaches 8% in the innovative
industries in France and 5 % in the technology industry in the UK.
ICT – women networks are mostly created at the national level and in
urban areas, but some NGO are working on this theme with
developing countries
Important use and presence of the women in social networks but an
underestimation of their skills