College of Social Sciences

Date: Tuesday 3 October 2023

Time: 1-3pm

Location: Studio 2, The Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow 

Register now

Refreshments will be provided. 

The Gender and Sexualities Interdisciplinary Network, an initiative led by the Addressing Inequalities Interdisciplinary Research Theme, is pleased to invite you to a panel event tackling issues of gender inequality in UK entrepreneurialism entitled ‘Addressing the Gender Imbalance in UK Entrepreneurialism: An Intersectional Approach.'

The focus of this panel will be the persistent issue of gender inequality in UK entrepreneurialism. More specifically, this event seeks to tackle the structural causes of such gendered disparities, rooted in wider forms of gender inequality and sexism. This will be approached through an intersectional perspective; prioritising the heterogeneity of women’s experiences and acknowledging the interlocking web of privileges and disadvantages that structure women’s lives. 

The United Kingdom has been dubbed the ‘start-up capital of Europe,’ a title earned by its 5.1% growth rate in new ventures from 2013-2015 (Rose, 2019:6). However, the under-representation of women within entrepreneurship is a persistent, UK wide issue. Only 19.01% of active UK companies are female-led (The Gender Index, 2023) and 1 in 3 entrepreneurs are women (Rose, 2019:7). Moreover, in the UK, businesses led by women of minority ethnic background make up only 6.6.% of the national average and only 3.5% of all companies in Scotland (Stewart and Logan, 2023). 

Given this context, we are excited to welcome the following panellists: 

• Professor in Practice - Technology Entrepreneurship Mark Logan, School of Computing Science, University of Glasgow. Mark has over 25 years of senior leadership experience in the internet technology sector. He was instrumental in the success of multiple start-ups, including as COO of Skyscanner. He is now a start-up/scale-up advisor, investor and non-executive director in Scotland and internationally. He is Senior Fellow at University of Strathclyde’s Innovation Centre and a Scottish Government advisor on technology policy. With Ana Stewart he recently co-authored the independent review 'Pathways: A New Approach for Women in Entrepreneurship,' which seeks to address the root causes of female under-participation in Scottish entrepreneurship. 

• Dr Samuel Mwaura, Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Strathclyde Business School. Samuel's main research interest is on the links between entrepreneurship, individual and household wellbeing, and the wider socio-economic context. His recent work has focused on entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurial participation rates and performance especially amongst ethnic minorities, migrants and women. 

• Karen Rodger, Team Leader for the Widening Entrepreneurship team in the Entrepreneurship Division of the Talent and Participation Unit for The Scottish Government. 

• Karen Stevens, entrepreneur and ambassador for the charity WEvolution. WEvolution enables women from disadvantaged communities in Scotland to form Self-Reliant Groups (SRGs). Through SRGs women empower themselves by developing strong friendships, saving money, learning skills and supporting each other to create entrepreneurial opportunities. 

The event will include short presentations from our panellists, a question-and-answer portion and then questions opened to the audience. Refreshments will be provided with time allotted for networking. To find out more and to book your place, please visit our Bookitbee page.  

We believe this panel discussion will offer the opportunity for attendees to share knowledge and find practical solutions for tackling inequalities in UK entrepreneurship. We look forward to welcoming you.  

For questions, please contact Addressing Inequalities IRT Fellow Anna Clover anna.clover@glasgow.ac.uk. 

---

First published: 22 September 2023