2009 Business Pulse: the gender analysis
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As part of a wider analysis of the 2009 Business Pulse, we have analysed the different experiences of men and women who run small businesses. Of the 7,200 respondents, 64 per cent are men and 36 per cent are women.
The difference in one result by gender is quite striking; more women than men say that their businesses have been hit by the recession, and women say their businesses have been hit much harder. Women are also less optimistic than men about when an upturn will be with us and they also feel their businesses are less equipped to succeed.
There is significant agreement between the sexes on most aspects of their business at this time. But there are differences when it comes to technology; men are more likely to adopt new technology (41 per cent) than women (30 per cent). 35 per cent of women say that they will only bring in new technology 'if they have to', compared with 25 per cent of men who say this. However, more women appreciate social networking as a business tool: 22 per cent as opposed to 17 per cent of men.
When the survey looks at savings made through technology, it seems that women's reluctance to adopt new technology has caused them to miss out on savings reported by men. 33 per cent of men say they their businesses have saved money through new technology, whereas only 25 per cent of women make this claim.
