Angels Den Blog

Don’t get me wrong: I’m no feminist… I’m very much a man’s man—a bloke hailing from north of the border, for goodness’ sake — but I don’t think that you need to have two X chromosomes to see that the issue of pay-packet inequality is completely ridiculous. Women have worked diligently for decades on end, trying to achieve what should be a relatively simple goal: equal pay for equal work. But this concept has continuously fallen to the wayside, and has not received the support and encouragement that it deserves. Even after years in the workplace working side-by-side with their male counterparts, the discrepancy in pay and incentives is undeniable—and unfathomable.

For example, an Equality and Human Rights Commission report has uncovered that women working in the finance sector earn up to 60 per cent less than men working in the same field. Perhaps we might expect that of some small, unenlightened area clinging to archaic sexist beliefs about a woman’s place being in the home, but this statistic relates to our beloved, cosmopolitan, diversity-celebrating City of London—and this makes it all the more difficult to grasp.

Having grown weary of unequal pay, and a general lack of appreciation for their efforts and input, highly skilled entrepreneurial women are now striking out to start their own businesses in record numbers. At the same time, the number of women who have decided to take on a private investor or business angel role has exploded, with these women putting their financial and entrepreneurial success to good use funding new business. Opportunities to become a private investor are increasing as women, as well as men, are setting out to test the waters of starting up their own businesses in their droves.

These new entrepreneurs are intelligent, capable women, whose knowledge and skill set has been underused in the conventional workplace and who are therefore incredibly passionate about succeeding in their ventures. The private investor who offers start up funding for these endeavours is not only making a smart business investment, but is also helping to address the equality imbalance.

We would do well to recognise the contributions of women in finance and other areas of business, and it is a shame that antiquated beliefs and practices, along with downright complacency, have created a situation in which women are being forced of necessity—and pride—to leave the conventional workplace and set out on their own to prove themselves as skilled business leaders.

But perhaps this movement is the silver lining to the dark cloud of inequality. Everyone in society today has to reassess their beliefs and preconceptions about their jobs, working environment and income security. With so much re-evaluation going on, perhaps experienced and dedicated female entrepreneurs and private investor partners will now have an opportunity to change the marketplace once and for all.

Female entrepreneurs and private investors are poised for success as they continue to establish a solid foundation in business and demonstrate that they are a force to be reckoned with. There is no better time than the present for all of us to support these women who are setting out on their own to earn what they are worth and to applaud the female investors establishing a growing influence in the business world.

At www.angelsden.co.uk, we have noticed an increasing number of ‘double X’ private investors over the last year. There also seems to be a never-ending supply of inventive or innovative women looking to start up their own businesses who come to us for advice and angel funding. And long may this trend last—because the private investor and entrepreneurial world has been a male-dominated place for far too long.

Image © hanskristian