Entrepreneurship is viewed as a vehicle to drive growth and help to alleviate poverty in Bangladesh. But women venturing to start their own business are at a disadvantage due to socio-cultural bias and a lack of societal encouragement.
This is reflected in the labor market, where female business leaders account for a meager 5.5 percent of the total, and 25 percent of all professional or technical workers.
In other developing markets where there is strong representation of female entrepreneurs such as China, Vietnam and Botswana, the report found that women generally “tap on business segments that are non-knowledge or innovation-oriented and within their local environment.”
New Zealand, Canada and the United States are the top three countries with the most supportive conditions and opportunities for female entrepreneurs, MasterCard said.
