In our country, the number of women in business has decreased, with figures showing that only 25.5% of all enterprises are led by women. Meanwhile, one out of every four employees in small businesses are female owners or administrators.
“Even when they are entrepreneurs themselves, they seek a male at their side to help them, and this shows a lack of confidence to build anything on their own,” says Arlinda Muja, President of the Microfinance Association.
Several difficulties are listed by the expert. “Of course, access to money is varied, as is access to state or other institutions that can help small firms. It is not merely because they are women; it is due to a lack of confidence; they cannot fight till the end; it is a time-consuming procedure.”
Jetona Myteveli, a UN Women expert, takes a different approach. “Women up to the age of 35 devote themselves to their families or the roles that are required of them, and after that age, they are ready to enter the economic world. Meanwhile, males are trained at universities and enter the market more quickly owing to their aggressiveness and ambition, not to mention that male alliances are very supportive, but we lack a network of women to support each other with know-how. Female entrepreneurs in Albania are frequently regarded as being overly pushy.”
Erald Pashaj, an employment expert, contends that “To be a woman doing business in Albania and the Balkans, you must be more assertive, dealing not just with the state but also with suppliers and employees. This takes courage, and all Albanian female entrepreneurs are regarded as powerful women, lionesses.”
Pashaj appears doubtful of the data’ low numbers. “I think the data from Business Registration Center, which say that 25% of firms belong to women, are far lower than they should be,” he told “A2 Business”.