Maternity system blamed as Ireland lags in female entrepreneurs list

IRELAND has one of the lowest levels of female entrepreneurship in the world, with disincentives such as a lack of maternity cover for the self-employed preventing women from going into business.

That’s according to experts at a conference held in Waterford, who told delegates that a gender gap still exists in terms of harnessing entrepreneurial talent in this country.

The conference, titled The Shape of Tomorrow: the Dawning of a New Enterprise Policy for Women, was organised as part of the INTERREG IIIA-funded Female Entrepreneurship in Ireland and Wales project.