Gender finance gap continues to prevail across sectors and types of financing in the Philipines. Beyond microfinance, women entrepreneurs face barriers to capital – both debt and equity and remain underrepresented at all levels of the financial system. How can we support more women-led small and growing businesses in the country to address this gap? What are their financing needs and where does the opportunity lie for investors to supply capital?
In collaboration with Villgro Philippines, Investing in Women and the Gender Impact Investing Council (GIIC) Philippines, through this research we aim to highlight the potential for gender lens investing in the Philippines, focusing on women entrepreneurs’ perspectives on the gender finance gap. It provides findings and insights gathered through survey and interviews of 103 women-owned and led SMEs. The report also features testimonials and stories from key opinion leaders and stakeholders such as investors and entrepreneurship support organizations.
The research shows that the women entrepreneurs express clear ambition and readiness for growth but face difficulties finding suitable capital. On the other hand, investors are interested and keen to support women entrepreneurs and adopt a gender lens, but they do not find many women entrepreneurs in their pipeline. This gap between demand and supply needs to be bridged through a variety of innovative, inclusive mechanisms and this will require a collaborative effort from different actors across the ecosystem.
We hope that this research can offer fresh insights and create solutions to address the financial challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the region.
| Contents | 1. Context: Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Philippines
2. Methodology
3. Summary of Findings
7. Appendix |
