Women doubt their abilities and skills to undertake. Several studies mention this, including the most recent one by Femmessor on the subject of shareholding. In fact, doubts come second in terms of obstacles to entrepreneurship for women, just after the perception of too high a risk. "The study confirmed what several other surveys had previously shown. We clearly haven't finished talking about the lack of confidence. There is still a lot of work to be done," laments Sévrine Labelle, CEO of Femmessor, who recently shared the microphone with Danièle Henkel for a podcast on the subject of self-confidence. "These results always surprise me, especially since women, who are more likely to obtain a university degree, have just as many of the skills and qualities essential to succeed in business as their peers," she adds.

A question of perception

How then can we explain this way they see themselves? “Women tend to want to master skills in a more precise and perfectionist way,” observes psychologist and business coach Marie-Hélène Côté. “It’s no different in the entrepreneurial world. The attitude women generally have toward the unknown is another factor that can explain their lack of confidence. What does it mean to become an entrepreneur? Until they know, many of them won’t want to go for it.”

Aren't women also known for having a great sense of responsibility and for being more cautious? "This is an interesting avenue," acknowledges Sévrine Labelle. "I think that mothers, for example, still have a very high level of responsibility and are not ready to risk everything. That being said, our study shows that men as much as women cite the notion of risk as one of the top three obstacles to entrepreneurship."

The business environment and children's education are other interesting avenues to explain the current results, according to our two experts interviewed.

Current tracks

The Femmessor study on shareholding also reveals that 31% of women with full-time employment and/or management positions in a company intend to become entrepreneurs in their lifetime. To encourage them to take action, Sévrine Labelle wants to remind women that they can start a business while remaining themselves: “They don’t need to be perfect or 100% confident at all times. Today’s business world and workplaces need authentic, humble and sometimes vulnerable leaders. This makes them more human and helps attract and mobilize the new generation of employees.”

Here are also two strategies, put forward by Femmessor, to support women in their entrepreneurial projects:

SUPPORT

Women are more likely than men to seek support, whether from mentors, coaches or professionals, reveals Sévrine Labelle. “They like to surround themselves with qualified people to help them on their entrepreneurial journey, which helps them gain confidence.”

A DIVERSITY OF MODELS

“Yes, there are role models of female entrepreneurs, but there could be greater diversity in terms of forms of leadership, personalities, sectors of activity, among others,” says Ms. Labelle. “The more different types of female entrepreneurs there are, the more women will be able to identify with them.”

Haven't listened to the episode on trust of the podcast Once and for All yet? It's here .

To learn more about Femmessor ’s services, click here .