Breaking down barriers for women in business
The Malinauskas Government is investing $4 million in a suite of programs designed to increase female representation in the state’s business sector.
Gender bias, difficulty accessing capital, as well as a lack of upskilling and networking opportunities are among the particular barriers women in business report facing when making decisions to start or grow their own business.
Recognising these challenges, the Women in Business Program – which delivers on a key election commitment – seeks to foster female business innovation and address obstacles.
The Malinauskas Government has joined with key partners - Port Adelaide Football Club, Behind Closed Doors and Adelaide Business Hub - to tackle the issues and deliver the program.
Delivered over four years, the program includes two main elements:
Women in Business Foundations Program – supported by Adelaide Business Hub - will deliver capability and skills development for women in the early stages of business set-up. Areas covered include financial literacy, digital marketing and business planning.
Women in Business Advisory Program - in partnership with Behind Closed Doors - will support women leading high growth businesses to establish best practice governance, undertake strategic planning, and establish effective and balanced advisory boards.
Through its HERstory: Business Collective Program and coinciding with the debut of its inaugural women’s team, Port Adelaide Football Club will help promote the advisory and foundations programs.
The Club will take the government’s skills and advisory programs to a wider audience through business networking and events offered through HERstory. Media contact: Nick Harmsen 0422 888 991 premier.sa.gov.au
The HERstory Business Collective includes women from all areas of business including start-ups, entrepreneurs, emerging leaders and company directors. These partnerships will be the first of several initiatives to be delivered under the Women in Business Program over the next four years. For further information, visit www.women.business.sa.gov.au.
I am personally passionate about supporting small and family business – especially when it comes to creating opportunities for more women to start and grow their businesses.
We took to the election a commitment to deliver a dedicated program tailored to the specific challenges women face in business.
As a woman who grew up within a family business, and was running my own small business until just recently, I’m acutely aware of the specific barriers that face women in business.
These barriers include unequal access to capital, networks, and upskilling opportunities, as well as the well-documented juggle between work and caring responsibilities.
Our recent engagement with the small business community across South Australia revealed that more than 38 per cent of female respondents still experienced a host of barriers including gender bias, sexism and a lack of upskilling opportunities.
