WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Although women make up the majority of the world's population, in the field of entrepreneurial activities they constitute the minority due to their socially, economically and politically inferior position with regard to men. Women carry out two thirds of all work in the world, but earn only one tenth of world income and own less than one percent of world goods. Sex-related inequalities on the labour market and in entrepreneurial activities are connected to unequal educational and training opportunities which are further reflected in the extent to which women participate in business, and in their choice of profession and possibilities for advancement. The change in social paradigms has radically altered the balance of powers between women and men in society at large, as well as in business. It is a fact that there are fewer entrepreneurs among women than among men. The Croatian economy, however, has begun to show an increase in the number of women entrepreneurs, which is an extremely positive trend, as the economy is in need of as many qualified, skilled and educated people as possible, regardless of their sex. The main handicaps to increasing the number of women and their competitiveness in entrepreneurial activities can be found in traditional prejudices, sociological attitudes of those responsible for the development of entrepreneurship, scepticism towards women, as well as in the ambiguities existing both within the legislative infrastructure and among the preconditions for a more dynamic development of entrepreneurship. Although the opportunities open to women in the field of entrepreneurship continue to grow, this is a process that hinges upon the functional domain i.e. the type of the activity. Namely, different activities provide different opportunities for the accelerated development of entrepreneurial activities in women. This paper presents suggestions aimed at increasing the number of women active in the sphere of entrepreneurship in the Republic of Croatia. Furthermore, attempts have been made to expose the socio-cultural elements that hinder women from entering the world of entrepreneurship, and to describe what happens to women once they have joined the male world of entrepreneurship. The aim of the paper is to identify the major obstacles encountered by women in establishing a business. This paper also serves to support the entrepreneurship of women and to promote its development.