Women constitute 52% of the total European population but only one-third of the self-employed or of all business starters in the EU. Women thus represent a large pool of entrepreneurial potential in Europe. When establishing and running a business, women face more difficulties than men, mainly in access to finance, training, networking, and in reconciling business and family.

PPotential women entrepreneurs should be made aware of business support programs and funding opportunities.
All business development support should include signposting information and providing links to support services, advice and counseling, and business coaching and mentorship. Such assistance may also extend to the provision of particular skills (e.g. opportunity recognition, business planning, financial management, sales and marketing), delivered either informally (e.g. mentoring scheme) or more formally by attending a course. Support should be targeted at groups with the greatest potential (such as unemployed workers with professional skills, women or young people), and should rely on close co-operation between employment services, business support and finance providers. The goal is to help the unemployed make an effective transition into self-employment, increase the sustainability of their businesses, and to tailor support to groups who may require additional resources such as young people or those who may not be best reached through traditional channels of business support.
The empowerment and involvement effects of the project will be created through this bringing together, for which the women will be co-responsible being involved in the project activities, activities that will be extremly community oriented.
The project is co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme for a duration of 24 months.

For more information about the EmpowerWOMENt project visit the About section.