Small business key to empowering
women
As we all know inequality between men and women is one
of the main development issues facing Papua New Guinea, which ranks 157 out of 187
countries in the 2014 UNDP Gender Inequality Index. However enabling more women
to start and grow small businesses has the potential to improve these figures.
In the words of PNG Women’s Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PNGWCCI)
President Avia Koisen “The big problem for many women is that they don’t have
the economic means to take control of their lives”. “But with the right skills
women can build their own businesses and so empower themselves economically and
socially.”
Leading development scholars agree, with the International Center for Research on Women
in Washington DC stating that ‘women’s economic empowerment – that is, their
capacity to bring about change for themselves – is increasingly viewed as the
most important contributing factor to achieving equality between women and
men.’
This thinking
is the reason why PNGWCCI has, over the last
month, helped organise a special small business management program for 16 of
its women members. I, along with another experienced Australian business woman
– Sharon Valentine have helped facilitate the program. The four week program
which ends this week is being run in partnership with the private sector
focused not-for-profit Australian Business Volunteers (ABV) and is known as the
‘Your Enterprise Scheme (YES)’.
Participants have been chosen
because of their experience, and because of their enthusiasm to learn new
skills to enable them to grow their businesses. For many the chance to employ
and empower other women through their businesses is a driving factor. YES is all about providing people the skills
to build on what they already have, and to seize business opportunities. This
is important because it’s growing businesses which create jobs.
On a personal level it has been great to work
with this group of entrepreneurial women, particularly because they are so keen
to learn. The
program consisted of five one-day workshops which focused on marketing,
managing employees, risk analysis, and other areas essential to growing a
successful business. We also carried out one-on-one mentoring sessions between
workshops to provide guidance to the participants on putting their new business
skills and strategies into practice. It has been really impressive to see how
quickly these businesswomen have taken on board the skills we have been working
on. Most are already implementing new processes as a consequence of the
program.
PNGWCCI and ABV
have had great support for this YES from the business community including
Paddy’s Hotel, Digicel, Exxon Mobil, Pacific Islands Trade and Invest, and Virgin Australia. However running more
YES programs will require finding continued funding in a difficult economic
climate. Both PNGWCCI and ABV will be talking to corporations and government
about their support for YES future programs.
I will finish with
a quote from findings by the OECD.
‘When more women work, economies grow. An increase in female
labour force participation—or a reduction in the gap between women’s and men’s
labour force participation—results in faster economic growth’.
In other words
economically empowering women is not just a good in itself, it’s also
beneficial for the whole economy.
Dr Bea Duffield is an Australian Business
Volunteer
