Covid has brought down the growth of women's businesses in Italy. For years, the number of women-led companies in our country has been growing at a faster rate than the growth rate of men's companies, but the trend has stopped this year. Between April and June, the creation of women's businesses fell by 42,3%, against -35,2% of companies led by men. In the third quarter, on the other hand, the changes were respectively -4,8% and +0,8%. The numbers are contained in the Unioncamere National Business Report in general.
The analysis also shows that Made in Italy, tourism and culture are the sectors that recorded the greatest drop in registrations of new female businesses in the April-September 2020 semester. Above all, hospitality and catering (-42,8%), fashion (- 42,6%), culture and entertainment (-39,7%). The only sector showing marked growth is that of media and communication (+34,7%).
THE IDENTIKIT OF FEMALE ENTERPRISES IN ITALY
At the end of the third quarter of this year, there were 1,3 million female enterprises, equal to 22% of the total. Almost 890 were active in the service sector (equal to 66,5% of the sector's total), over 151 in industry (11,3%) and around 208 in the primary sector (15,6%).
96,8% of women-owned enterprises are made up of micro-enterprises with less than 10 employees (about 1 million and 293 thousand), 39 thousand are small enterprises with 10-49 employees (2,9%), while medium-large enterprises are more than 3 thousand, equal to 0,3% of the total.
At a territorial level, about two thirds of the female universe of enterprises are located in the Centre-North (849 enterprises, equal to 63,6%), while another 487 (36,4%) are based in the South. Just over 10% of women's businesses are led by women under 35 years of age (150, 11,3%), and almost as many by foreign women (over 151).
