Entrepreneurship of women – multiplication of experience and results from NOW-projects

Documentation of the final colloquium of the LEONARDO da Vinci - project

Workshop 2

„Gender sensitive counselling and training"

Main point of the work of this workshop were questions of differences between men and women in the process of preparing business foundations and the process of learning and how to use this differences in consulting and further education.

Focal point of discussion was the question „What does gender sensitive mean?". It was distinguished between biological, social and cultural aspects. It was noticed that gender sensitive work needs the inclusion of men and women. Moderation cards were used to collect experience, problems and needed actions for a gender sensitive work with female business starters and entrepreneurs. Beside missing esteem of female business foundations there are entrepreneurial deficits of female business starters and little niches for business foundations of women. The results of the workshop are shown in the following table.

Following statements have been collected for presentation at the panel discussion:

1. It is important to get an idea about gender roles and positions of both gender, especially looking at the status of women.
2. Female trainers at the courses are very important as well as learning in groups.
3. Women have to be conscious of their power ® empowerment.
4. Take specific features of group dynamism in women´s groups into consideration. There you can find chances for discussions that usually are taken by men.

More needed actions were seen in the field of sensibility of men and women concerning gender questions. Male and female trainers and multipliers should be trained in the field of gender sensitive training methods.

Experience and good practices with female entrepreneurs and female starters of enterprise, the problems in this field and need of acting based on this experience (IG)

Abstract for Workshop in Final Conference of Multiply Now/Leonardo 2^nd March 2001

Hillevi Loenn

University Helsinki, Centre for Equal Opportunities

Good experience/practices:

• Simulation enterprise during the Berta Project: possibility to learn entrepreneurial skills and practices, overall picture of an enterprise, personal touch on different roles in an enterprise (manager, controller, secretary, content producer etc.)

• tutor of the training gives group and individual guidance
• secure environment to try different actions in business
• no risks or input like in real business

• "Real" enterprise = student association after simulation:

• enables real (small) business and touch to real responsibilities of entrepreneurship
• prerequisite: basis of the enterprise has been worked out
• no economical risks
• gave an overall (key-hole) picture of entrepreneurship, after which trainees are mature to decide about their own strategies

• most of trainees decided NOT to take actions towards own business (it was not the main target)
• many trainees took actions for setting up co-operatives, for developing programme services in tourism industry (main products of trainees)

• Gender sensitiveness of the process:

1. knowledge based content area, like 'the status of women in society' or 'women as leaders' , and as
2. factor of subjectivity . this is: gender issues were studied using participants' own experiences in terms of their personal life histories, society, the other sex etc.

• Individual and gender sensitive guidance and counselling; career planning

Problems

• The state administration and regulations hinder innovativeness

Future recommendations

• More flexibility in regulations for employment projects
• More IT in career planning within a women's employment / entrepreneurship project
• More consultancy in the phase of planning (and implementation) of a project: how gender is being permeated in the process? How mainstreaming/gender is going to be implemented ?

Workshop 2

Gender sensitive counselling and training

Ideas presented by the participants: