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When Is Enterprise A Viable Option For Women Far From the Labour Market?
Dr Julia Rouse
Chair, Gender and Enterprise Network
Director, MMUBS CBS Clusters
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Projects: My Journey• Personal background• Longitudinal studies of:
– Youth enterprise programme– New Entrepreneur Scholarship programme– Entrepreneur maternity
• Recently with Oxfam and other stakeholders:– ‘Empowering British Bangladeshi Women Through
Small Enterprise’– Beginning to explore Universal Credits…..
Business Planning Under Enterprise Programmes: A New Me!
• Empowerment by writing oneself into a new opportunityRaises aspirations and confidenceProvides new statusDevelops some skillsLegitimation of new identity by authoritative figures
in enterprise programmes
And then?• Business launch – using start-up funds to ‘be’ a new
you!
• Business trading – often more tricky because markets are different to what we imagine and competitive……..
Follow-on support is rare• Enterprise programmes may not have to report outcomes…• Outcome evidence is scarce and may be unreliable
So what happens? Youth Enterprise:• Trading! but:
• Poor business ideas, poor markets• Childcare and maternity barriers• Inadequate business skills, networks and funding
• Dangers:• Debt• Mental health / family problems• Persevering in a ‘no;low hope’ business• Informal trading
Youth Enterprise: Left Holding the Baby!• Childcare invisible in business plans
– Complex private childcare plansorganising and transporting between multiple carersshift parentingpart-time trading, flexible hourstrade/care simultaneously
• Business trading: collapse of childcare strategies– Withdrawal of informal support; risky coping strategies– Business failure
Also: Pregnancy!
My motivation to research entrepreneur pregnancy
Raises questions about:Family planning RegulationsMarket behaviourCoping strategies
Individualised Nature of Business Struggle/Failure• “Must be me”
– “I am a failure”– “All I need to do is learn and start again”
• May be true in some instances, but resources are now more constrained….
• Commissioners are unaware and unaccountable• Individualised: no empowerment via collective action
New Entrepreneur Scholarship Programme• Under-capitalisation (median £5,825 v. UK £15k)
Despite £3,500 grant Low reliance on personal savings and banksHigh dependence on family/friend loans and credit
cards• Particularly for economically inactive and poorly
educated (= class?)– But no gender difference
NES: Effect on businesses
• Second wave evaluation (average 29 months old):
Median turnover £18k; median drawings £3600.
Trade without premises, partner or sub-contractors.
Are These National Patterns?
• Probably, Yes! – Class and – particularly - gender affect life course
pathways to business start-up– Entrepreneur earnings are higher if:
• There is personal and friends/family money to invest.• Long hours are possible due to freedom from housework
and childcare.
Should We Abandon ‘Enterprise Inclusion’ Policy?• Rob McDonald: yes – it is an unfair individualisation of
the problem of poverty and disguises underlying inequalities.
• Frances Greene: yes – it is bad for regional productivity.
• Me: but what if women want to try it (and have few alternatives) – shouldn’t we campaign and innovate?
Oxfam: British Bangladeshi Women
Sophie Fosker, Oxfam UK Poverty Programme
Empowering British Bangladeshi Women Through Small Enterprise?• Analysis of two small projects
• Interviews with women
• Wider ‘engaged scholarship’
• Creative analysis of ways forward….
British Bangladeshi Women• Men: 89.8% economically active
17% self-employed.
• Women: 41.8% economically active (v. 74% white women)19% unemployed (v. 14% white women)22% employed (v. half of white women)c.1-2% self-employed (v. 9% white women)
Context: Enterprise Support• Large contracts for ‘streamlined’ services• Relative disconnect from other institutions – Sure Start,
health care, FE, CABWeak pathways for accruing resources
• New Enterprise Allowance but targeted at unemployed
• Trial of Universal Credits……..Uncertain/difficult to access advice
Community Host A / Project A
• Bangladeshi women’s organisation 30yrs +
1. 12 week business programme in English– Ironing business considered but dropped
2. Sewing projects: – Designer handbags– Cheap bags and clothes for the local community
• Unprofitable; no longer trading or meeting
Community Host B / Project B
• Host supports deprived community – particularly British Bangladeshi women
• 10 week pre-enterprise programme– Inconsistent attendance– Initial business ideas
• Take-away, scarves or traditional crafts retail, henna
The Women We Interviewed• Project A (3)
– First generation migrants from rural Bangladesh resident in the UK for 19-39 years
• Project B (5)– First generation migrants from different areas of
Bangladeshi resident in the UK for 11-28 years– One second generation migrant
• Strong desire for economic activity
Remember: Entrepreneurship Is…
the mobilisation of resources in (profitable) market exchange
The Women’s Resources
• English language: varied (but often poor)• Education: limited or unrecognised for migrants• Recent work experience: scarce• Networks: highly constrained• Money: varied (if any) control; families under pressure• Skills/competing roles: housewife, mother,
carer, hostess
The Programmes: Resource Enhacing?
• Knowledge – business planning• Skills – sewing (Proj. A); not modern workplace skills,
accrediting domestic skills or business development• Networks – internal to the programme• Money – no start-up fund (Project A materials covered);
welfare assistance unclear• Other responsibilities - unchallenged
The Programme: Resource Mobilising?
• Emergent business ideas and some test trading• Attempt to share richer networks: handbag project• Limited:
– exposure to markets and networks– drawing in partners– adapting what can be done with resources at hand– challenge of unrealistic ideas
Outcomes• Engaged with community organisations• Enjoyment/confidence building; aspiration raising• Marginal skill and network development
• Low/no returns for work• Unknown effect on vital welfare entitlements• Debt? (Start-up of retail shop on £3-4k?)• ‘Island’ programme with transient effect?
Proposal: Innovation!• Investing in Integrating and Innovating Pathways to
Enterprise – Commitment from multiple institutions (linking/enhancing)– ‘Effectual’ business development support– Welfare pathway to enterprise from ‘economic inactivity’– Empowering women to campaign for the support they need
• Short-term priority– Investigating the effect of Universal Credits on the self-
employed
Workshop Discussion
1. Should business start-up be promoted to women far from the labour market?If yes: why?If no: why?
2. What innovations could improve outcomes?
3. What do you think about Julia’s policy proposals?