Women's enterprise

There are three million women aged 16 and over in London, making up over 52% of the adult population. According to the 2001 census, 29% of women are from black and minority groups.

The London Annual Business Survey (2005), commissioned by the LDA and Business Link for London, illustrates that 16% of businesses in London could be categorised as female-owned (where over 50% of owners or partners are female).

Women-owned businesses are more likely to be smaller and in specific sectors, particularly education, health, social work and other community, social and personal activities.

As London's population is 52% female, with women representing 43% of the economically active workforce, this suggests that women remain substantially under-represented among business owners in London.

What we do

The LDA's Enterprise Development Team supports women-owned businesses by focusing on the following main objectives:

• To significantly increase the number of women starting and growing businesses in London.
• To tackle barriers to progress and to improve support for women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, especially those seeking to grow.
• To proportionately match or exceed levels of women in enterprise in better-performing North American and European countries.