Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) will be unveiling new research this year about the impact of COVID on female entrepreneurs. This report is due in part to a new partnership with the Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI). CWI is an annual international entrepreneurship program that aims to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs. GEM is a consortium of national country teams that carries out survey-based research on entrepreneurship around the world.
How COVID has impacted female entrepreneurs
CWI will be a sponsor of the GEM 2020/21 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report to be launched this fall. The report will highlight areas where there are still gaps, challenges and opportunities for female entrepreneurs. These challenges persist, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The report will highlight the first impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on women entrepreneurs and the extent to which the gender gap – that had been very slowly closing over the last few years – is affected by recent socio-economic shocks,” said Dr. Niels Bosma, Chair of the GEM Board. “GEM will also provide a roadmap to policymakers, to help leverage the value women entrepreneurs bring to societies worldwide and implement remedies that encourage and support their aspirations.”
Inequality in the COVID era
Dr. Amanda Elam, Research Fellow at the Diana International Research Institute at Babson College, and Dr. Candida Brush, the F.W. Olin Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College, will be the principal authors of the report. Babson College is a global sponsor and a founding institution of GEM.
“As the GEM 2020/2021 Global Report shows, the gender gap in entrepreneurial activity persists,” said Dr. Elam. “Some economies are missing out on the innovation, jobs and economic growth that more equal representation could bring. We look forward to further investigating how stakeholders can build a more inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem globally.”
“At the heart of CWI’s vision is a world where every woman impact entrepreneur can realize her full potential,” added Wingee Sampaio, Global Program Director of CWI and the organization’s diversity and inclusion ambassador. “To reach this vision, data on women entrepreneurs is critical to enroll more support into the ecosystem and to drive collaboration. We were in search of a partner to do this work together – track, monitor and assess women’s entrepreneurship activities.”
Advancing female entrepreneurship
CWI was launched 15 years ago by Cartier, the exclusive watch and jewelry Maison with a long-lasting commitment towards women. Both GEM and CWI are looking to bring on other sponsors that have a vested interest in women’s entrepreneurship. The overarching goal is to further expand the research agenda around this topic.
“We are incredibly grateful to have the Cartier Women’s Initiative support our forthcoming report that will provide a foundation for guiding future research, policy decision-making and design of initiatives and programs to enhance growth and development of women’s entrepreneurship,” said Dr. Aileen Ionescu-Somers, GEM Executive Director.
To receive the GEM 2020/21 Women’s Entrepreneurship Special Report, sign up for our newsletter.
You can get more details on how COVID has impacted female entrepreneurs here.
About Cartier
A reference in the world of luxury, Cartier, whose name is synonymous with open-mindedness and curiosity, stands out with its creations and reveals beauty wherever it may be found. Jewelry, fine jewelry, watchmaking and fragrances, leathergoods and accessories: Cartier’s creations symbolize the convergence between exceptional craftsmanship and a timeless signature. Today, the Maison has a worldwide presence through its 265 boutiques. www.cartier.com
About Babson College – GEM Global Sponsor
Babson College is the educator, convener and thought leader of Entrepreneurship of All Kinds ®. It is proud to be the top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education. Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action ® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.
About GEM
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is a consortium of national country teams, primarily associated with top academic institutions, that carries out survey-based research on entrepreneurship around the world. GEM is the only global research source that collects data on entrepreneurship directly from individual entrepreneurs! GEM’s Adult Population Survey (APS) provides analysis on the characteristics, motivations and ambitions of individuals starting businesses, as well as social attitudes towards entrepreneurship. The National Expert Survey (NES) looks at the national context in which individuals start businesses.
www.gemconsortium.org
In numbers, GEM is:
– 20+ years of data
– 150,000+ interviews a year
– 100+ economies
– 500+ specialists in entrepreneurship research
– 300+ academic and research institutions
– 200+ funding institutions
GEM began in 1999 as a joint project between Babson College (USA) and London Business School (UK). The consortium has become the richest resource of information on entrepreneurship, publishing a range of global, national and ‘special topic’ reports on an annual basis.
Read about how the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionally hurt working women.
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