Budget's focus on women in business welcomed

Government plans to boost support for female entrepreneurs have been welcomed by advocates for women in business.

A range of measures to support women business leaders was outlined in the Enterprise Strategy, launched by Alistair Darling as part of the Budget.

Plans include a capital fund of £12.5 million to invest in women-led start-ups, and a rollout of business advice services tailored to women.

Maxine Benson, co-founder and director of businesswomen's website Everywoman, told More Than Business News that she welcomed the strategy, which she believes recognises that the needs of many female entrepreneurs are different to their male counterparts.

"Women in particular derive great value from networking and the ability to seek advice from others with more experience and knowledge, and we welcome a tangible programme where any woman aspiring to start up their own business has access to guidance from a positive role model," she said.

Research from 2006 suggests that in the UK there are just over a million self-employed women, comprising 7.6% of all women in employment.

This contrasts with 2.7 million self-employed men, some 17.4% of all men in employment.

Last week, a government survey of small businesses found that 52% of small firms were entirely male-led.