AFAEMME - Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen

Conclusions of the III MEDA Women Entrepreneurs Forum

AFAEMME has co-organized with the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) the III MEDA Women Entrepreneurs Forum, which took place in the framework of the V Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders on the 25th of November 2011.

The main conclusions which were drawn from the Forum have been the following:

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FACTS:

SMEs are the main pillars of the Mediterranean economy
Financial independence leads to personal independence and through this we can achieve personal gender equality at home and in the society by encouraging more equality policies and equal opportunities in the labor market
Female entrepreneurs face more difficulties in setting-up a company than men (access to funding, balancing work and family)
Women often give up their professional careers for family reasons as women who work outside of the home are frowned upon (E.g Italy)
Religion is a determining factor in the southeastern Mediterranean societies (Islamic countries) and a tool for political change
We need more statistics about women in the labor market, so that Governments take note

RECOMMENDATIONS:

To strengthen social policies in order to achieve mutual respect between genders and co responsibility
To encourage the entrepreneurial spirit E.g. by creating women entrepreneurs training schools
Training, information and programmes which support entrepreneurship are essential
Female Mentoring is important for motivating women entrepreneurs
To create professional networks and Associations which engage women

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

FACTS:

A 1% increase of women in ITC education leads to a 0.37% increase in the country’s GDP
Women are majority in the Media sector but Media are lead by Men
The news over the world still accentuate female stereotypes
The role of new technologies (E.g. Facebook, Twitter) in the “Arab Spring” is making women more visible

RECOMMENDATIONS:

To work to overcome technological illiteracy
Women should become more integrated into the technological change (men create products for men)
To encourage young women to choose technical careers, to be more competitive and create new specific tools for women in order to help them to better manage their time
To use Internet as an effective tool for discussion and to promote the visibility of women

FEMALE TALENT