Istat, 1.4 million women entrepreneurs, 64.8% without employees – March 8

There were more than 4 million 800 thousand entrepreneurs working in Italy in 2021. Of these, nearly 1 million 460 thousand were women (30%). Istat confirms this in a report on women and business, explaining that compared to 2015 there is a slight growth in the female presence of about 65 thousand units (+0.9 percentage points). The vast majority (64.8%) of female entrepreneurs do not have employees, which is a higher percentage than their male colleagues (62.4%).

The average age of female entrepreneurs (49 years) is lower than their male colleagues (52 years), thanks to a larger under-35 component. In the age group of 50 years and above, women represent 26.5% of all entrepreneurs. The imbalance decreases slightly in the middle age group (33%) and is more consistent among the youngest, where the female share reaches 37.1%.

The vast majority of female entrepreneurs work in the service sector (90.7% compared to 74.9% of female entrepreneurs), with women representing just over a third (34.2%) of all entrepreneurs in this sector. Istat reports that 34.5% of female entrepreneurs have a university degree compared to 23.4% of men. With a higher educational qualification, the gender gap decreases.

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