Accelerating Women-Led Ventures in Latin American & Sub-Saharan Africa

SangEun Kim – Research Manager at Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) – will present four studies that ANDE sponsored. The studies address the following questions: do women-led ventures aim for less? If so, what roles do social and cultural norms play in that? Does an acceleration phase mitigate or amplify the gender gap? When do women become audacious and join male-dominated sectors? The combination of four studies utilizes a mix of quantitative and qualitative – including interviews and case studies – methodology. The key takeaways are that fewer female-led ventures for profit tend to set a target margin than their counterpart male-led ventures, and when they do so, they set lower target margins. It might be due to the uneven playing field for women in a business acceleration phase, although the gender gap is not pronounced in the recruitment for entrepreneurial support programs. This session will also present exceptional cases of female entrepreneurs who start their businesses in a male-dominated environment. Yet, they are rather motivated by personal ambition and interest in the sector. By introducing the findings, the presenter will set a scene and facilitate further discussions about how to countervail the social and cultural norms against women entrepreneurs.