Female entrepreneurship in Ukraine: features and prospects

FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN UKRAINE: FEATURES AND

PROSPECTS

UDC 343.359.2(477)                                                             Nadya Krivosheya 

3d year student

of Finansial Faculty of S. Kuznets KhNUE

Annotation. The article analyzes the characteristics of women's entrepreneurial activity in Ukraine. It is studied the types and forms of female entrepreneurship. The article defined the main reasons for enterprise activity of women and also barriers and obstacles.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, gender, small business, employment , motivational approach.

Анотація. Стаття присвячена аналізу особливостей підприємницької діяльності жінок в Україні. Досліджено види і форми жіночого підприємництва. У статті визначено основні причини підприємницької активності жінок, а також бар'єри і перешкоди.

Ключові слова: підприємництво, гендер, мале підприємництво, зайнятість, мотиваційний підхід.

Аннотация. Статья посвящена анализу особенностей предпринимательской деятельности женщин в Украине. Исследовано виды и формы женского предпринимательства. В статье определены основные причины предпринимательской активности женщин, а также барьеры и препятствия.

Ключевые слова: предпринимательство, гендер, малое предпринимательство, занятость, мотивационный поход.

Female entrepreneurship is a relatively new phenomenon for the Ukrainian economy, therefore, for the study of women's issues, it is necessary to analyze the features and problems of entrepreneurship development taking into account the gender perspective.

Involving women in entrepreneurship is particularly relevant in the context of entrepreneurship as the basis for the formation of a middle class, which is the social foundation of civil society.

In the publications of T. Zhurzhenko, N. Lavrinenko, G. Gerasimenko, O. Kolomiets, O. Strelnik and other issues related to the modern economic situation of Ukrainian women, the following main issues are considered: the current situation and problems of women in the labor market in the conditions of economic transformations, the problem of unemployment of women. And only individual works are devoted to a new phenomenon in the Ukrainian economy - female entrepreneurship. For example, N. Isakova analyzes the gender characteristics of entrepreneurial activity, and V. Sukovata identified and described the main barriers to women's involvement in entrepreneurial activity. Therefore, the issues of female entrepreneurship require a more detailed study.

The aim of research work is to analyze the peculiarities of entrepreneurial activity of women in Ukraine. To highlight the features, types and forms of female entrepreneurship. Identify the main causes of women's entrepreneurial activity.

The employment rate among women in Ukraine is close to the figure in such countries as Croatia (57%), Italy (52%), Greece and is lower than the average for EU countries (65%) according to Eurostat data. [2] But despite this Ukrainian women are trying to engage in entrepreneurial activities in various fields.

Busy women are more likely to be employed and, accordingly, rarely employers and self-employed persons (in comparison with men). Among the leaders on women entrepreneurs account for 40% and men – 60% (Fig. 1).

[pic 1]

Figure 1. The share of women and men among entrepreneurs, [4]

The data of sociological researches also show that in the entrepreneurial activity there is a gender professional segregation, that is, a stable tendency of employment of men and women for well-defined professions, branches (Fig. 2).

Due to the availability of data on the main activity of legal entities in the Unified State Register, it is possible to analyze which sectors and activities are headed mainly by women.

[pic 2]

Figure 2. The distribution of women entrepreneurs among their industries, [4]

Based on these studies, it can be argued that the most widespread types of women entrepreneurs in Ukraine are the sphereservices and trade.

The development of women's business mainly in the sphere of services and trade can be explained by the fact that:

previous experience, including domestic work, forms women's knowledge and skills that are in demand in these areas;

women are a minority among those with technical skills, education and it prevents them from doing business in the fields of construction, transport or industrial production;

"non-traditional" women's industries require a lot of capital, and women do not have sufficient resources for it and it is difficult for them to attract them.

Researchers believe that the characteristic feature of women's entrepreneurship in Ukraine is its heterogeneity. According to the polls and in-depth interviews, several typical groups of women entrepreneurs are distinguished [2] (Table 1).

Table 1

Typical groups of women entrepreneurs