Women in SMEs: The quiet revolution
"Women are increasingly participating in the workforce and seizing their opportunities, and especially in SMEs. The revolution is happening quietly in the many SMEs that create value every day - and not on the streets with strike slogans." This was said by Hans-Ulrich Bigler, Director of the Swiss Trade Association, on May 28 at the presentation of a current study on the topic of "Women in SMEs".
More than 99 percent of all Swiss businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 250 employees. The study presented here, commissioned by the Swiss Confederation of Skilled Crafts (sgv) and KMU Frauen Schweiz, collects data on the importance and positioning of women working in one of these approximately 500,000 SMEs. The study is based on a special analysis of the Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS) data for 2017, and the results can be considered representative for Switzerland. From 2012 to 2017, the total number of employed persons in Switzerland increased by 5 percent to 4.6 million. In comparison, the number of employed women has increased by 7 percent in these five years. The highest percentage of women is found in microenterprises with 1-9 employees. Small and flexible structures favor women's employment.
Women's careers and SMEs
Women are not only on the rise in numbers in SMEs, but also on the career ladders. The largest increases have occurred in the number of women employed in management and supervisory positions. Particularly striking is the increase in the number of women in top management positions. While 26 percent of all people in this group were women in 2012, the figure is nearly one-third (31 percent) in 2017. By comparison, the corresponding figure for men has fallen by 7 percent. In other words, women are conquering the so-called carpet floor.
The figures also show that the increase in the number of women in management positions is particularly large in medium-sized companies with between 50 and 249 employees. The number of women employed in top management positions increased by a whopping 54.7 percent. This is without any legally imposed quota for women. No such trend can be observed in large companies. On the contrary, in large companies with 250 or more employees, the number of women employed in top management has actually declined slightly. And it is around this problem, the situation of women in large companies, that the entire public discussion and resulting demands revolve. "This fails to recognize the reality of women in over 99 percent of all Swiss companies," said sgv Director and FDP National Councilor Hans-Ulrich Bigler at the media conference.
It is not surprising that women are very often found in the management of medium-sized companies. Women who take the top jobs here do so with above-average frequency and very high qualifications. 67 percent of them have a tertiary education. The proportion of women with the highest level of education in management is 59 percent across all company sizes.
Self-employment as an opportunity
Self-employment is a big issue among working women in SMEs. Most of the nearly 73,000 self-employed women run a small business with 1-9 employees and still 8,733 run a business with 10-49 employees. The small form of a company is generally very suitable for women. This is shown by the comparatively large share of women in small businesses of almost 50 percent. Women tend to be less common in medium-sized and large companies compared to men. Women frequently use self-employment as a part-time job, i.e. 67 percent, and are thus able to reconcile family and career. The partner of self-employed women without employees is also entrepreneurially active in 28 %. This suggests that in this case they often run a business together.
Women's advancement in reality
The study confirms the important position of women in family businesses. 60 % of all employees in these businesses are women. sgv Vice President and entrepreneur André Berdoz emphasized at the media conference how irreplaceable women are in family-owned businesses: "Very often, women take on key roles in the business as coordinators who maintain an overview and lead and coach the employees. Without their cooperation, many SMEs would not be able to exist.
SMEs integrate women into the workforce quite naturally, entrepreneur and sgv Vice President Daniela Schneeberger knows from her own experience. The discussion about the role and position of women in the economy must take much greater account of this fact. "Promoting entrepreneurial women therefore means creating good framework conditions in order to maintain flexibility. And flexibility is one of the great assets of women," said FDP National Councilor Daniela Schneeberger at the media conference.
"recognize-integrate-network"
This year, KMU Frauen Schweiz celebrates its 25th anniversary. KMU Frauen Schweiz is the network of female collaborating partners and self-employed entrepreneurs in SMEs. The network was founded by the sgv in 1994. It is a platform for women's concerns within the sgv. The largest umbrella organization of the Swiss economy thus recognized the importance of supporting women in the working world and in society 25 years ago and integrated it into the association. Under the motto "recognize-integrate-network", the network of SME women, with the support of the sgv, is committed to ensuring that the achievements of women in business and society are increasingly publicized and recognized. The Federal Certificate of Competence in Business Management for SMEs, introduced by the sgv together with the Swiss Institute for Entrepreneurship Training SIU, gives women the recognition they have long been missing. "SME Women Switzerland was awarded a prize by the European Commission for this innovative approach," explains the President of SME Women Switzerland and sgv Vice Director Christine Davatz.
Source: Swiss Trade Association
