Activities of Mary HONEYBALL related to 2010/2275(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on women entrepreneurship in small and medium-sized enterprises PDF (194 KB) DOC (115 KB)
Amendments (15)
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas women make up around 60% of all university graduates, but are underrepresented in full-time work in the labour market, particularly in the field of business; whereas it is crucial to encourage and empower women to embark on entrepreneurial ventures in order to reduce existing gender inequalities,
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas there are discrepancies between Member States in the numbers of women entrepreneurs and whereas; whereas, despite the upturn in the last decade in the numbers of women running SMEs, in the European Union only 1 in 10 women are entrepreneurs as opposed to 1 in 4 men,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas female entrepreneurship and female SMEs are a key source of jobs, business dynamism and innovation, the potential of which is not fully exploited in the European Union; whereas in an unstable economic climate measures to support female entrepreneurs are easily neglected,
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas men and women, in many cases, do not have the same opportunities to run and develop companies and whereas promoting women's entrepreneurship is a type of long-term endeavour that requires time to change structures and attitudes; whereas women have always been entrepreneurial, but rules and traditions have meant that entrepreneurship has not always been an option for women,
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas women entrepreneurs are a heterogeneous group, varying in terms of age, background and education, rand theyging from recent graduates to those well- advanced in their career who want to find new ways of using their skills, capacity and creativity, and whereas women entrepreneurs are active in a wide range of sectors and businesses; whereas women are often wrongly perceived to lack entrepreneurial characteristics and propensities such as self-confidence, assertiveness and risk- taking,
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas there has not been enough research undertaken on female entrepreneurship at EU-level, which can inform the development and implementation of EU-wide policies in this area,
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that some businesswomen are more inclined to take measured or calculated risks, which may create barriers to growth; calls on Member States to support female entrepreneurs' access to growth potential assessments conducted by experienced consultants which measure the risk potential;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on Member States to embrace national educational concepts for ‘young entrepreneurship’ in upper secondary schoolsschools to raise girls' interest in entrepreneurship, so that over the course of a school year female students can experience the lifecycle of a business through the start-up, running and winding up of a company, linking to this process mentoring from teachers and ‘active ageing’ advisors from the local business community;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Recognises that from a young age many girls are discouraged from pursuing school and university subjects perceived as inherently 'masculine', such as science, maths and technology; encourages educators to broaden the spectrum of possible subjects and careers open to girls, so that they are able to develop the knowledge base and full range of skills necessary for succeeding in business;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Highlights the importance of fostering girls' and women's employability through skills training and lifelong learning;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Asks Member States to take accountraise awareness of the European entrepreneur exchange programme ‘Erasmus for young entrepreneurs’, the specific objective of which is to contribute to enhancing entrepreneurship, internationalisation and competitiveness of potential start-up entrepreneurs in the EU and newly established micro and small enterprises, and which offers new entrepreneurs the possibility to work for up to 6 months with an experienced entrepreneur in his/her SME in another EU country; recommends specific scholarships to be provided for female students with outstanding potential, culminating in ‘best practice’ award ceremonies for successful graduates;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Regrets that in an unstable economic climate many potential female entrepreneurs may be put off starting up a new business; highlights that the development of profitable SMEs by both men and women can help Member States to achieve more sustainable economic growth;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Encourages Member States to implement policies enabling women to achieve an adequate work-life balance; calls on Member States to adhere in particular to the targets set in the Barcelona European Council Conclusions;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Asks Member States to encourage and make provisions for female leaders of SMEs to be linked with the appropriate business leaders in other fields so that they may have the opportunity to share experiences and exchange good practices and gain a better understanding of the wider business world;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Welcomes the Commission's 2008 study on women innovators and entrepreneurship, and urges Member States to adhere to its policy recommendations;