A Fresh Look at the Reasons Why Women and Men are Self-Employed
"Semantics has always played an important role in the ways we understand and discuss gender. The construction of gendered phrases such as 'she-cession' or 'she-covery' are purposeful and political. Semantics can also influence the way gendered data is collected, interpreted and then used to embolden or challenge conventional wisdom. This is exemplified in recent data published by two different surveys that offer diverging interpretations of what motivates women’s entrepreneurship."
"The Survey on Employment and Skills, conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research in partnership with the Future Skills Centre and the Diversity Institute at Ryerson University, explores the experience of self-employment in Canada...The survey found that 11.8 per cent of employed Canadians were self-employed, including 13.2 per cent of women and 10.7 per cent of men. When asked about the reasons for being self-employed, nearly half (49 per cent) of those in this situation identified the importance of being one’s own boss. The second most-common response was the flexibility that self-employment provides to balance work and family responsibilities, with 42 per cent of participants choosing this answer...Different findings have been reported by Statistics Canada. In 2019, the Labour Force Survey also collected data on the reasons for self-employment. The survey results show that in 2018 about one-third (or 33.5 per cent) selected independence, freedom and being one’s own boss as the reason, and fewer than one in 10 (8.6 per cent) chose work-family balance."
"The Survey on Employment and Skills has produced a necessary counter-narrative, one that should prompt venture capitalists to rethink the ways they assess and attach value to women’s entrepreneurship. When deciding which goals are important, both women and men will benefit from having the opportunity to select all that apply."
Policy Options, October 25, 2021: "A fresh look at the reasons why women and men are self-employed," by Aherthy Jeyasundaram
Future Skills Centre, September 16, 2020: Adapting to the Changing World of Work (42 pages, PDF)
Photo Source: Surface (2021). Woman using surface laptop [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/DTPY6b0RMRk









