Economics & Politics
In 2010, there was a slew of articles in the international press which questioned the Dutch female work ethic and depicted women in The Netherlands as part time workers, if they worked at all. Tina Amirtha looks at whether the coverage was accurate.
A few years ago, Dutchwomen got a lot of flak for not working so much. Suddenly, the entire feminist bloc of the West knew that the Dutchwoman, if she worked at all, commonly worked part-time.
There was an article in Slate, where the journalist Jessica Olien presented her observations of apathetic Dutch attitudes towards work, especially among its women.
Coming from her brief sojourn in the country as an expat, her examination seemed to propel a mini burst of commotion in the media.
A blog post on The Economist tried to further solidify the reasons for which the average Dutch female did not want to work so much in the 2000s. From citing lower salaries in the Netherlands as compared to the US to positing these women enjoyed the power of wielding their inconvenient part-time work schedules over their bosses’ heads, no explanation seemed to get at the core of the issue.
The new economy suggests that if
traditional debt funding sources are
available, they are in very economical amounts, if indeed at all!
Woe betide anyone whose business has gone out of favour with the financial markets, i.e. retail, construction and recruitment, and if you are displaying even the slimmest of declines in your performance, then prepare yourself for a fight to keep what you have, never mind acquiring further cash.
All the UK high street main lenders have rolled up their shutters to new lends, except for the historically conservative Co-Op and Clydesdale (Yorkshire) Banks, who are taking on some new business, albeit with tough covenants and high interest rates.
Where any lend is being considered, protracted timescales are the norm, as credit committees cover their backs - and the rest! Due diligence is more thorough than ever, with even seemingly robust deals being aborted at the last moment.
The new economy, therefore, requires new, fresh thinking for an entrepreneur to maximise available cash.
Guest article by Gene Miller, COO of Families United in Educational Leadership (FUEL). Part of The Next Women Social Entrepreneurship Theme.
It’s not often that one can say this about a job, but I feel truly blessed to be working with Families United in Educational Leadership (FUEL). From the day I stepped through the door, it has been a thrilling (though not always easy) ride. I truly believe that FUEL is making a positive difference in the lives of many low-income families and I am delighted to be part of it.
To understand why I am so excited about being here, you need to know a bit about my background and a bit about FUEL. By my early 30s (hard to believe that was about 25 years ago!), I had a successful career as an executive vice president in the finance industry. In banking, I experienced the excitement of big sales and large-scale transaction closings. When my bank was consolidated with another one, I was able to parlay my experience into a series of senior-level consulting assignments that allowed for more flexibility while raising my three children during the following 14 years.
The EU is not a gender issue. Women’s life styles and freedoms are more influenced by circumstances, culture and opportunity than whether or not we remain part of the European Union.
It’s no secret in the startup community
that while women are launching businesses like gangbusters, the number of those
businesses that have reached the $1 million revenue mark has stagnated at just
2%. But while we’ve been living with this depressing statistic for more than a
decade now, a deep dive into Census data by Womenable and American Express Open has finally unearthed a silver lining.
And believe me when I say, it is fantastic news.
Click here to read the rest of this article by Forbes Woman.
Guest post, part of The NextWomen Africa Theme, by Davison Mudzingwa, founder of Entrepreneurship Africa.
My mother is a genius; I always tell people who care to listen. She inspires me in many ways. Having grown in rural Africa in the 20th century, she was not educated. Her father, my grandfather, preferred educating the boy child rather than the girl, my mother. It’s a norm that is still prevalent in many African societies. Boys get preference, from young age up to old boys clubs.
The NextWomen Africa Theme.
Marie Lora-Mungai is a serial media entrepreneur, television producer, writer, and journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Buni Media, a multimedia company based in Nairobi, Kenya, and Los Angeles, California.
Buni Media is the producer of The XYZ Show, Kenya’s very popular political satire show, followed by more than 8 million people every month. Marie is also the founder and CEO of Buni TV, a web and mobile distribution platform for top-quality African videos that aims to revolutionize the way African content is distributed and consumed on the continent.
Before co-founding Buni Media in 2009, Marie had a career as a television journalist, working at CNN’s New York bureau and later as a foreign correspondent across Africa for AFP TV, Reuters TV, BBC World Service and CNN.
Her work as a journalist was recognized by a UN Correspondent Golden Medal and various other award nominations. .
We are absolutely delighted to announce Wendy Tan White as the most recent addition to our community of regular bloggers. Wendy is the co-founder and CEO of Moonfruit, which was recently acquired by Yell group (recently re-branded Hibu) in a deal worth $37m. She is a 500 Startups mentor and was named female UK Tech Entrepreneur of the Year 2011. Welcome onboard Wendy!
Something caught my eye recently: an appearance by someone called Steve Moxon before a Commons select committee as part of an inquiry into women in the workplace. He is the author of a book called “The Women Racket” and that perhaps gives you a clue as to his point of view.
Ever wondered what it would be like as a woman in the male dominated world of trading? Read this fascinating guest article by Terri Duhon, Author of How the Trading
Floor Really Works. Part of this month's theme of Finance.
20 years ago, when I was studying Math as an undergraduate at MIT, I was vaguely aware that the world of finance, my chosen career path, was dominated by men. Because I had just spent two years at MIT where women were the minority and in particular I was studying Math which had only 10% women at the time, I was not fazed. As a student I felt that I had experienced a true meritocracy. My academic experience was one in which my gender didn’t seem to play a part. I was mostly aware of gender issues through my mama and other older female relatives. But to me, they were their issues and particular to their generation. I had heard stories of single women not being able to rent an apartment and of wives being subservient to husbands but those were not my issues and clearly times had changed.
The NextWomen Finance Theme.
Living in Boulder, Colorado has provided me with a number of gifts: the ability to enjoy nature, ride my bike, ski wonderful trails and live rurally. If not careful though, life in Boulder can also contribute to a skewed view of the world.
As a town with an incremental presence of startups, (the birthplace of the startup scene) one can easily observe the emphasis placed on outside investors, first mover advantage, early market share, and accelerated growth as best startup practices.
From an economic development standpoint, young people riding on their townie bikes brag about their recently acquired jobs at “high-growth” startups. A couple of beers later, you learn that salaries at such positions barely cover rent and food. Beer money? I am not sure where it comes from. It might come from the future value of the stock options these youngsters have brewing on their hiring paperwork. Talk about intangible assets!
How much do “high-growth” startups contribute to economic prosperity and overall economic development? Let’s briefly look at a couple of examples Americans know fairly well: Facebook and Evernote.
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