When you’re a woman, all countries are not created equal. It can be challenging for many to succeed in launching their own ventures, especially those who are not trained at business schools, even in the top-rated nations that are bridging the gender gap with legislative and corporate quotas. But beyond the parliament and boardroom, quotas have seemingly failed to promote women. So what’s the best place to live if for a woman minding her own business? In a country you’d probably least expect: Poland.
With more than a million companies run by women — one-third of the country’s total — it is one of Europe’s leading centres of female entrepreneurship. Poland is also doing a better job with executive gender equality. According to a new Dell study, Polish women make up 35 per cent or more of senior managers, compared to 25 per cent in the US, while 35 per cent of women own small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Considered a gender-conservative country, women fared surprisingly well in the recent elective politics as well. After an all-female fight for Polish premiership — for the first time in more than 20 years a European election was being contested between two women — Beata Szydło became the third woman in the job, after beating Ewa Kopacz in the recent elections. Like her predecessor, Szydło, characterised by energy and grassroots appeal, is expected to keep the doors open for small business owners. She has promised to cut taxes for the vibrant SMEs that generate nearly 70 per cent of Polish jobs.
A nation opens for business
Why are Polish women becoming business leaders faster than those in the developed world? Firstly, they have the EU to thank for boosting the numbers. With the help of EU subsidies and Poland’s strong small business culture, women who have never written a formal business plan, hired an investment bank or planned an exit strategy are finding something unique they could call their own.
Many of the businesses were set up after the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, as the closure of many state-owned businesses left many people with no other option than becoming self-employed. This trend has been skyrocketing over the past two decades.
“Polish women have strong sense of multitasking,” says Maria Nowińska, designer of the Nowińska Bag, one of the country’s most successful leather brands. “After the political and economic transformation in 1989, women became aware of their entrepreneurial abilities, which manifested in their active presence in business and politics. They were even more encouraged by the fact that Poland had a woman prime minister.”
For corporate leadership, increased investment in women’s education is a major catalyst. Women are graduating from universities at higher rates and are better positioned for senior management positions when they open up.
As more women take the entrepreneurial path, stepping up to show they have the appetite, skills and vision to take a shot at scaling their ventures, Marta Zięba-Szklarska, who runs Alter Group in Warsaw, a consultancy office, and is active in supporting entrepreneurs, says the reason women are flourishing in businesses is because of their ability to build relationships based on trust, loyalty and quality. “Women have the advantage and ability to communicate with each other, to cooperate.”
EU support
The 2011 European Parliament resolution requiring member states to help women establish and run their own business has also enabled women in Poland to step up and grab their share of the booming economy. The Polish Network of Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors, representing various company sizes, industry sectors, ages and experiences, now counts more than 300 members as part of its roster.
“Our mission is the same as the EU’s, which is to promote enterprise among women as well as to motivate and support them to employ their skills and passions in order to create and establish new values,” says Urszula Ciołeszyńska, founder of the network. “If we don’t have women participating in the innovation of starting and scaling businesses, we’re going to miss out.”
Leading the economy out of the doldrums, for their part, these women entrepreneurs have played an active and supportive role in fixing the persistent euro crisis. Despite varying motives for starting businesses, the women are all aware of the bottom line.
And they mean business.
