Women's Entrepreneurship Plan

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The Women's Entrepreneurship Plan, also known as plan entrepreneuriat des femmes, in France was launched in 2013 with the goal of increasing the share of women in new business start-ups.
What are the main aims and objectives?

The primary aim of the Women's Entrepreneurship Plan in France is to enhance the participation of women in entrepreneurship. Specifically, this plan aimed to increase the proportion of women in new business start-ups to 40% in 2017. Additionally, the plan is integrated into regional efforts to support women's entrepreneurship, which include raising awareness about female entrepreneurship. The plan also aligns with broader international initiatives such as the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020 and the Gender Action Plan III for EU, further emphasizing France's commitment to promoting women's economic empowerment and gender equality in entrepreneurship.

How does the program work?

The Women's Entrepreneurship Plan in France operates through a multi-faceted approach. The plan operates on three main pillars: information dissemination, individual support, and improved access to finance.

  1. Information Dissemination: The plan aims to increase awareness about women's entrepreneurship through various communication channels. It includes the dissemination of information and resources on entrepreneurship, providing women with the necessary knowledge and skills to start their own businesses. This includes knowledge about business planning, marketing, financial management, and legal aspects of running a business.
  2. Individual Support: The plan provides individualized support to women entrepreneurs. This includes personalized advice and mentorship to guide them through the process of starting and managing a business. It also includes training programs and workshops to enhance their entrepreneurial skills and competencies.
  3. Improved Access to Finance: One of the significant barriers facing women entrepreneurs is access to finance. The plan addresses this issue by providing financial support to women entrepreneurs in the form of grants, loans, and other types of financial assistance. The aim is to ensure that women have the necessary financial resources to start and grow their businesses.

To be eligible for support under the Women's Entrepreneurship Plan, individuals must identify as women and have a viable business idea or an existing business that they wish to expand. The specific eligibility criteria may vary depending on the type of support being sought.

The plan provides financial support through various funding mechanisms, including grants, loans, and other types of financial assistance. The amount of funding provided depends on the individual's needs and the nature of their business.

In addition to financial support, the plan also offers a range of support services to women entrepreneurs. These include personalized advice and mentorship, training programs and workshops, and access to a wide range of resources and information on entrepreneurship. The plan also includes extra provisions for women entrepreneurs in rural areas, ensuring they too have the resources and support needed to succeed.
What is the overall cost?

There is currently no information available on the cost of implementing the Women’s Entrepreneurship Plan

How was it implemented?

The Plan was launched in August 2013 by the Ministries of Women's Rights; National Education, Higher Education and Research; and the Delegate Ministry for SMEs, Innovation and the Digital Economy.

The first pillar was implemented to strengthen entrepreneurship in the education by supporting promotional events such as the Entrepreneurship Awareness Week and the launch of a new website (no longer functioning) which provided information and links to available programs. The second pillar was implemented with the creation of 14 regional support networks that offered mentoring to women entrepreneurs.

The third pillar focuses on improving access to finance and this approach was built in partnership with BPCE, BNP Paribas and financial networks (France Active and Initiative France), which organize networking events for entreprenuers and financial institutions. Additionally the plan collaborated with the Fonds de garantie à l’initiative des femmes (FGIF) to provide loans for women entrepreneurs.

What impact has been measured?

The OECD found that In 2013, the initiative mobilized a network of 130 women entrepreneurs and they reached 2,600 young women who were interested in becoming entrepreneurs. There were 400 promotional events in 2015, which was double the number in 2014. The guarantee fund (FGIF) assisted 2 281 women in starting their business in 2016.

What lessons can be learned?

Analysis by Tech crunch found that the proportion of startups with at least one female founder plateaued between 2012 and 2017 at approximately 17 percent. This is substantially below the 40% target outlined in the plan. However, the raw number companies with a female founder did grow in this time.

Access to financial capital was another significant barrier. Many women found the funding practices to be complex and discouraging, with fluctuating amounts and strict eligibility criteria. Although the plan included financial assistance, it could not fully address these financial constraints.

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom