ICSB‐WEC webinar report on women's entrepreneurship

Purpose The purpose of this short report is to provide a summary of the inaugural webinar session of the Women's Enterprise Committee (WEC), International Council for Small Business (ICSB). Design/methodology/approach In a live webinar from Babson College, Professors Brush, Duffy and Kelley discussed key findings from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2010 Women's Report. Findings An important finding was that there are over 40 percent more men than women entrepreneurs in all but one of the 59 countries studied. Women entrepreneurs are also more likely than men to engage in entrepreneurship due to necessity. Research limitations/implications It is recognised that further studies are required to determine the reasons behind the differences in male‐female entrepreneurship participation rates globally. Practical implications It would appear that considerable scope exists to develop the entrepreneurial potential of women across the globe. Originality/value The GEM Women's Report is the most comprehensive study ever conducted on women's entrepreneurial activity internationally, and the webinar offered researchers an opportunity to engage directly with the report authors.