After the changing times and attitudes, it seems this year’s Women Entrepreneurs Week from May 4-10 is more than just a celebration of said women. It’s also about remembering the struggles of businesswomen who were discriminated against in the past.
“We can’t be complacent just because (women entrepreneurs) were a rarity at one point and now are more normal,” said MLA Donna Harpauer, minister of Social Services and responsible for the Status of Women. “Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan (Inc.) are proud of the women they represent and so they asked for the declaration and the province is equally as proud.”
According to a news release, there were 35,100 self-employed women in the province last year, particularly in the professional services, wholesale, retail and hospitality industries. That’s an increase of at least 1,000 from 2013.
“You don’t have to look any further than Humboldt to see large numbers of women entrepreneurs,” said Harpauer.
For many women nowadays, particularly younger ones who didn’t have to suffer the hardship of gender discrimination, there is the idea that the business world opens up equal opportunities to women as it does to men. But even just two short decades ago, that wasn’t always the case.
“We started the business in 1992. We couldn’t get any money from the bank because we were women and didn’t have financial credit. We had to use a share in our home to back anything and we were still refused,” said Wendy Toye, owner of Haus of Stitches. “It was very tough to get a business loan 23 years ago, whereas now there’s a lot more support.”
Toye said the only reason she was able to get started in her business was with the help of Sagehill Community Futures. Because the bank refused her a loan, she was able to get funding and assistance from them.
These days, the only challenge women seem to experience different from men is juggling child rearing with their business enterprises. Even then, there are single fathers who have the same difficulties, though on a smaller comparative scale.
“I can’t imagine having kids and running a business. It would be very difficult for me … but I know there are women that do both and do it fine,” said Lorie Menz, co-owner of Cottage Boutique. “It’s a lot of hours and a lot of hard work.”
In fact, women with families might even have it slightly easier than men in some respects because there are organizations like Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Inc. that are willing to help support businesswomen financially and otherwise. That organization in particular has provided business advice and more than $32.3 million in loans for women in the province since 1995.
“Women now are very successful and educated and there are different positions that women are working at on top of going out there and opening up a business on their own,” said Aimee Vetter, co-owner of Born Fabulous. “To be able to recognize that for a week is huge and empowering.”
