More female entrepreneurs 'seeking work-life balance'

News Article - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

filed under: Business

A growing number of women are choosing to start their own businesses in order to achieve a better balance between work and family life, a new study indicates.

Research by YouGov suggests that women are setting up new enterprises in order to provide them with more flexibility between work and family life, with 70 per cent of those quizzed claiming that the ability to work more flexibly was the biggest motivation for going it alone.

The poll of more than 1,000 female entrepreneurs for the Government Equalities Office found that three-quarters of respondents (75 per cent) stated that work family life balance was better running their own businesses than it had been when they were employees.

Almost nine out of ten women entrepreneurs questioned (86 per cent) said that they were happy to set up their own business all over again as it had been a positive experience and 78 per cent stated that they gained greater independence from setting up their own business.

Commenting on the survey, minister for women and equality Harriet Harman stated: "Mothers often tear their hair out trying to balance earning a living with bringing up their children, and need more flexibility from their work. Setting up their own business can be the solution."

The UK now has more than one million self-employed women, 17 per cent higher than in 2000, though women still comprise just 27 per cent of the total number of self-employed people in Britain.

Female entrepreneurs can use accounts software to improve management of their finances and maximise profits from new businesses.

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