The women with disabilities meet with numerous barriers in accessing resources, organizational and financial support for starting a business. The unawareness and limited access to relevant information, which is a major obstacle to the development of professional activities, add to this, shows a study of the Association of Entrepreneurs with Disabilities of Moldova “European Skills without Limits”, which was carried out in partnership with the Center for International Private Enterprise, IPN reports.
The study says that there is a clear demand for more efficient and accessible support services. While some female entrepreneurs are satisfied with the received support, others point to difficult access to finance and the complexity of bureaucratic processes. This discrepancy underlines the need for coherent and needs-based support. Most of the respondents are not actively involved in business associations or don’t know their advantages. This points to the opportunity for these organizations to improve communication and service delivery to make them more attractive to women with disabilities.
The study also reveals that at the stage of business launch, the women mention the “juggling” through all sources of information and procedures for starting a business. This points to the need for a centralized information platform adapted to persons with disabilities.
Irina Revin, president of the Association of Entrepreneurs with Disabilities, voiced hope that the study will serve as a basis for solving the problems of women with disabilities who want to start businesses and be independent, because, without financial independence, social integration cannot take place.
Anna Kompanek, director of SIPE programs, said that the study sought to detect problems in creating a business and find solutions together with the institutions concerned. The study was needed because women with disabilities face the biggest obstacles in the business environment.
Mary Alexander, chief of the Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy in Moldova, believes that women hold various leadership positions not because someone gave them opportunities, but because they fought for them and will continue to fight together to provide opportunities. “Setting a career path is not always easy for a woman, but these problems are even bigger for women with disabilities,” stated Mary Alexander.
Cristina Ceban, state secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, realizes that a sustainable economic development of the country requires the involvement of the entire society in a fair environment, without discrimination. The Ministry is committed to solving the identified problems by supporting female entrepreneurship, but also by promoting an inclusive economy for people with special needs.
The study surveyed 504 women. Most of them are 25 to 35 years old and have mainly secondary vocational education.
