{"id":10333,"date":"2021-08-17T11:55:09","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T09:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dazzlepop.net\/site\/?p=10333"},"modified":"2021-08-17T14:45:40","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T12:45:40","slug":"boosting-female-representation-in-the-startup-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dazzlepop.net\/site\/boosting-female-representation-in-the-startup-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Boosting female representation in the startup world"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Boosting<\/div>\n

Notes from a female founder: Boosting female representation in the startup world<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being a founder is challenging enough but being a female founder even more so. For centuries, the image of \u2018the entrepreneur<\/a>\u2019 has been that of a white man, with entrenched stereotypes of what he looks and sounds like, and how he behaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Female founders are still often expected to \u2018man up\u2019 and embrace the way men do business<\/a>, while avoiding the pitfalls of being considered \u2018too assertive\u2019 or \u2018too bossy\u2019. There are times when I\u2019ve had to \u2018man up\u2019 as a young professional to carve out my space, but I\u2019ve also spent a lot of time trying to understand how men and women complement each other in the working environment. It\u2019s crucial that we fight our own ideas of gender roles that have been shaped by the historically male-dominated business world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The image of working men and women began to be challenged in the late 20th century, as more freedom was given to women and access to further education, resource and capital improved. Some iconic female businesswomen and entrepreneurs started emerging, but even today, female founders are highly underrepresented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gender balance \u2013 not just a societal issue<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thing is, we know that gender balance is not only a societal issue \u2013 it is also an economic imperative. A study by the International Monetary Fund published in 2019<\/a> revealed that the economic gains of gender inclusion are bigger than imagined. From a macroeconomic, sectorial, and company-level perspective, data shows that women and men complement each other in the production process, creating an additional benefit of growth from increasing women\u2019s employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It makes sense from both a business and social perspective to embrace gender balance and proactively boost female representation in your startup. According to a 2018 World Bank study<\/a>, closing the pay gap worldwide and achieving equal participation in the workforce could increase the size of the economy by some $160 trillion \u2013 almost double the then global GDP. In the startup ecosystem, research by the Kauffman Foundation<\/a> shows that tech companies led by women are more capital-efficient, achieving 35% higher ROI and 12% higher revenue when they receive investment from venture funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Boosting<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, what does this mean for startups?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Achieving gender balance in your startup begins with workplace culture. Culture is a crucial factor in shaping people\u2019s mindset when it comes to embracing and leveraging the upsides of gender diversity. Startups need to prioritize the creation of new narratives to embrace the ideas of gender balance in the workplace environment. Not conflictual and negative narratives, condemning old habits, but positive ones where new rituals and perspectives can generate more prosperity (and happiness!) for everyone by taking advantage of the complementarity of men and women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policies should always flex around people first. Founders, both male and female, need to be intentional about building their team and fostering the next generation of female talent. On a practical level, there are a few policies that all startups can implement to boost gender representation in the workplace. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n