Taking into account that in the previous edition of the same study Romania was 13th, we can talk about progress. However, the general perception of the female entrepreneurial environment is affected by prejudices and mental prefabrications.
In many countries of the world, gender-based cultural prejudices can significantly hinder the development of women-owned businesses and prevent them from capitalizing on their business potential. From the difficulty of accessing capital to the challenge of developing business relationships based on trust, women do business in a world still impregnated with masculine values.
If business opportunities for women are more widespread in economically developed countries and women have access to a wider range of resources, access to capital, financial services and academic support, the situation in the emerging countries is different.
Even if surprisingly in emerging economies, such as Romania, the percentage of female entrepreneurs is high, we can talk about a female entrepreneurship made out of necessity. Generally, the lack of access to finance and access to other resources stimulates the desire to succeed from the need for survival and guides the need to assert a central, sometimes demanding, role of women in society.
Though, in this context, the perception of women's success in entrepreneurship is tantamount to pulling the winning lot, in fact the existence of strong women-owned businesses and the results of gender analyzes in this regard show that it is not just a question of chance but of matter of tenacity.
My experience as female entrepreneur has shown me that tenacity is what makes the difference. The tenacity to support your values and business idea, to show your professional competence, to build great teams and to develop your business. All this goes hand in hand with many compromises, such as putting your career and business first at the expense of personal life, time for family and for your child.
I have been leading PKF Finconta for over 23 years and started in a much less favorable context than it is now. If I have succeed is because I believe in the capacity, resources and business power of women in Romania. My company has always promoted women capable of leading the our teams of professionals, of cultivating a culture of equal opportunities and inclusion.
It is our duty, as women, to be more confident about who we are and what we can do, to support each other and prove that we can grow up children and develop flourishing businesses. If the proportion of female entrepreneurs is still relatively small compared to the presence of men is because the representation of the role that we have in society is still connected to a conservative mentality. I believe that a fair distribution of roles in our society is necessary and welcome. And this process will happen when we, the women entrepreneurs, begin to think and act differently.
In Romania, we have compelling examples of business success for women who have shown that it can be done. There are women who have pierced the "glass ceilling" of perceptions and lead large companies. We have succeeded in coming together in business women associations and support each other. We have been able to convey a credible message to the entire Romanian business community about the ability of women entrepreneurs to do business of impact and quality. We have succeeded in launching impact initiatives and delivering results that help build a merit-based culture in business. We will continue to succeed and we will grow together.
