The Saskatchewan government has created a new advisory committee focused on examining the province’s entrepreneurial gender gap.
“Women help drive the economy of Saskatchewan in a number of ways,” Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Office Tina Beaudry-Mellor said.
“Our government is working to ensure the participation of women in the growth of our entrepreneurial ecosystem through many initiatives.”
The committee was created in partnership between the Status of Women Office and Women Entrepreneurs of the Saskatchewan (WESK), who will also provide the funding.
“This partnership with Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan will help us continue to do that by examining one of the key barriers to scaling-up their businesses that we have heard all over the province, and that is access to capital,” Beaudry-Mellor said.
Made up of representatives from government, the entrepreneurial community, and financial and legal professions, the examination will take place over the course of one year.
Its goal is to help business leaders and the province better understand women entrepreneurship and the barriers women face.
“Supporting women to scale their businesses is imperative for economic growth in our province,” WESK CEO Prabha Mitchell said.
“Advancing women’s equality in the creation of economic activity has the potential to increase GDP in our country by $150-420 billion. The endorsement of this priority by the Government of Saskatchewan positions our province as a leader in examining and addressing the gender entrepreneurship gap.”
Close to 35,000 women are self-employed in Saskatchewan, reflecting a 16.5 per cent growth over the past decade.
It’s the third highest growth rate in the country over that period.
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