Canada is ranked number two among best places for female entrepreneurship, according to findings from Dell’s latest Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard released today.
The scorecard, which ranks 31 countries that make up for 70 per cent of the world’s female population, placed Canada second where it is tied with Australia. The United States came out in a close first place while Sweden, the UK, France, Germany, Poland, and Chile round out the top 9.
“Canada also has the highest average scores for potential female entrepreneur leaders,” the study said. “Canadian women enjoy the same legal rights as men, and have ready access to education, the internet, bank accounts and SME training programs. It is seen as an innovation-oriented business environment with few market monopolies and less bureaucracy and corruption than lower-ranked countries – all conditions favorable for business startup and growth.”
The report also highlighted areas of growth.
Among five areas where each country was scored in, Canada led in Leadership and Rights, which include women’s legal rights, social visibility and professional freedom, and fell behind in Pipeline for Entrepreneurship, which indicates entrepreneurial spirit and skills of the female population.
The three other areas included relative business environments, access to resources and potential for high-growth women-owned businesses.
“Because of its family-friendly policies and a favourable political environment for startups and investment in women, Canada is an emerging hot spot for female entrepreneurs,” Dr. Ruta Aidis, project director of the Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard said in the report. “Generally, women … are well-connected to others in the business world. On the downside, women still have challenges accessing capital and there remains a skills confidence gap for women contemplating business startups.”