Study reveals the challenges that women entrepreneurs face in Spain

What do female entrepreneurs in Spain think about their careers when they are asked to speak their minds anonymously? A survey carried out by Barcelona-based business school EADA did just that, interviewing women at 23 small- and medium-sized companies and it has come up with some revealing conclusions.

In the survey, women were asked to weigh up the obstacles and rewards of running a business in Spain. They also explained why they had decided to pursue their particular careers.

The EADA survey is unique in many respects because, as opposed to just being a poll that gives percentage figures, it aims to shed light on the daily real-life experiences of women entrepreneurs.

One of the noteworthy findings of the survey was that many women continue to believe that running a business in this country is still very much a male-dominated activity. Despite this, there are signs that attitudes are changing, albeit very slowly.  
When asked how they made the difficult decision to become entrepreneurs, most responded that they had to do away with their fears, or "demons" as they referred to them in Spanish. By demons, respondents meant taking charge of their lives rather than being dependent on others.

Another reason that encouraged some to become businesswomen was the so-called "glass ceiling" phenomenon. EADA director Carlos Morales and Mariona Serrat, the co-author of the business survey, explained the glass ceiling as being a dead end, when women reach a certain hierarchy at a company or organisation but cannot progress any further because of their sex.

The women surveyed said that the only way to break through this invisible barrier is by a change in mentality. This may not be easy since a woman must learn how to abandon her more traditional views of her role in society - that she takes care of the family and the man is the provider. The majority of those interviewed by EADA said that education can play a vital role in breaking such sexist stereotypes.

The conflicting roles between the sexes in the Spanish family can create their share of paradoxes for women entrepreneurs attempting to balance their personal lives and their new roles as businesswomen. Even though they admit that Spanish attitudes are changing "in theory," in practice this is not necessarily what is happening.

One of the women who did not speak anonymously in the survey was Julia Alonso of Alicante. The 39-year-old founded over 10 years ago an online company called Secretariado y Protocolo, which offers translation and other services to companies.

She admits that at her former job she was unhappy, working long hours. Even after her employer allowed her to work shorter hours, Alonso noted that nothing had changed with her "ridiculously small" salary.

"I decided to start my own business when I saw that things had gotten out of hand," she said.

According to Alonso, the biggest initial challenge in starting a business in Spain was securing financing.

Alonso admitted that the great advantage about being your own boss is the flexible hours and also being able to organise your own schedule. "That had been a problem but it's not any longer," she said, adding that now she can work whenever she pleases.

February 2008

[Copyright El Pais / JOSEP M. SERRIEGUI 2008]