consumer insight

• In the United States women owned businesses accounted for two in five (40.2%) of all businesses in the country, employed 7.1 million paid workers and generated $818.7 billion in sales and receipts in 2008.
  
  
• In the UK, women-owned businesses comprise approximately 16% of the business stock and women comprise approximately 27% of the self-employed population.
  
  
• In the United Kingdom women professionals are on the rise – the total number of jobs filled by men is virtually the same as the number filled by women (12.8 million compared with 12.7 million respectively in 2002).
  
  
• Globally women from the ethnic minority communities (particularly Afro-Caribbean, Black British and African-American) are the fasted growing entrepreneurial group around the world.
  
  
• Amongst younger age groups, 18 to 24 and 25 to 34, female entrepreneurship is half of male entrepreneurship.
  
  
• 65% of the wealth of the UK nation will be in female hands by 2025.
  
  
• In Asia and Eastern Europe 30% of women in their early thirties are single, compared with 6% of their mothers’ generation at the same age.
  
  
• In South Korea, 40% of 30-year-olds are single and professional, compared with 14% only 20 years ago.
  
  
• Between 1991 and 1996 the number of self-employed women in Canada grew by 44% (compared to 20% for men).
  
  
• Generally women recommend products 10 times more than men.
  
  
• In Europe, UK and USA women make 80% of the purchasing decisions and spend 50% more than men.
  
  
• Women don’t buy brands; they join them!