A quarter of women set up their own business due to coronavirus
Coronavirus has acted as a huge catalyst for change for women, as one in four set up their own business in the wake of the pandemic.
A study from professional women’s network Allbright found three quarters of women have been inspired to start a business after the pandemic, with a quarter already doing so.
The findings reflect a resilience among professional women as they consider career changes and remain optimistic about the opportunities created by the pandemic.
Health and fitness and publishing have been the main targets for new business owners, which have been at the forefront of change in the past few months. Other sectors include beauty, finance and recruitment.
Recent research shows the pandemic has had an adverse effect on women as the balancing act of childcare and careers is exacerbated. A survey by Pregnant Then Screwed found 46 per cent of mothers said a lack of childcare provision played a role in their redundancy. While 72 per ent of mothers were forced to cut their hours because of childcare issues.
But Allbright’s findings point a newfound sense of optimism among women, as half of those surveyed believe the crisis could create new job opportunities. Two thirds of women are planning a complete career change, while a similar number plan to invest in “upskilling” themselves.
The results of the survey coincide with Allbright’s new campaign which looks to support women as they adapt to the changing professional landscape following coronavirus.
The “Making it Work” campaign will include online training, content, and in-club programming to help members build up skills as they return to the workplace.
Anna Jones, co-founder of AllBright, said: “The findings from our survey highlight the fact that women are using their resilience and renewed sense of perspective to pull through and not let the last few months set them back, and as an organisation we are helping them do this. It’s imperative that the pandemic doesn’t undo years of progress towards gender equality and women emerge stronger from the difficulties of the last few months.”