The number fell year on year
Just one in 10 mortgage finance companies launched last year were started by women, analysis of Companies House Data by Instant Offices has revealed.
According to the research, a total of 692 firms were registered under ‘activities of mortgage finance companies’ in 2022 – a 7% increase compared with 2021.
However, just 71 of these were launched by women – only 10% of last year’s total. In 2021, 115 mortgage finance companies were founded by women among a total of 647, meaning 18% were led by females.
Instant Offices also previously reported that just 8% of estate agencies launched last year were started by women.
Just 8% of estate agencies launched last year were started by women, despite efforts to close the #gendergap, Instant's research reveals. Experts highlight women entrepreneurs' challenges when looking to break into the market. https://t.co/yFMaeuVl7o #realestate #womeninbusiness pic.twitter.com/XhYipJylx0
— Instant Offices (@Instant_Offices) May 4, 2023
The 2023 Rose Review Progress Report found that 50% of female business leaders and entrepreneurs reported having difficulties in accessing funding and investment in the previous 12 months, although strides have been made across all industries to bring them more into balance.
The report highlighted year-on-year progress in supporting women to start up, scale and grow businesses. Women founded more than 150,000 businesses in 2022 and 20.5% of all business incorporations were female led, compared to 16.7% in 2018.
“Research shows that 54% of small businesses, 64% of medium ones, and 59% of large companies reported improved business outcomes when implementing initiatives to improve gender diversity,” John Williams, chief marketing officer at Instant Offices, added. “Studies have also shown women score higher than men in most leadership skills.”
Instant Offices also stated in its data analysis report that women are better educated and more active in the workforce now than ever before, with over 72% of women employed in the UK currently compared to 65% a decade ago.
Despite this, the gender pay gap remains between men and women, with women still largely underrepresented in leadership roles. On average, women in the UK earn £5,576 less than men annually.
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