Gender Equality National Report Hungary - European-microfinance ...

1. Introduction
1.1. Project Background
This study is one of 8 country studies undertaken in the context of a transnational
project financed by the European Union Directorate General (DG) for Employment, Social
Affairs and Equal Opportunities. The project, Fostering Gender Equality: Meeting the
Entrepreneurship and Microfinance Challenge, falls within the DG’s Strategy and Programme
for promotion of gender equality in local development. The project is coordinated by the
European Microfinance Network and includes research, pilot project implementation and
exchange of knowledge and good practice amongst 9 network members operating in 8
countries under the coordination of the European Microfinance Network (EMN).
Representing more than 94% of enterprises in Europe, microenterprises (those with
less than 9 employees) and self-employed people represent an essential element in local
development. The number of women who are self-employed in Europe is much smaller than
that of men and the number of women entrepreneurs with employees is smaller still. As such,
women’s potential to contribute to local economic and social development is not being
realised.
Microcredit has been proven across the globe to be an effective tool for the
development of self-employment and microenterprise. It has been particularly successful in
engaging and assisting women to take their first steps into self-employment. However in
Europe microfinance providers are not reaching proportionally as many women as in other
parts of the world. There is a need to further improve European microfinance providers’
understanding and methodology in order to strengthen their capacities to better serve women
who are or wish to become self-employed or microentrepreneurs.
In this light, Objective 1 of the project aims to assist microfinance providers, national
governments and a European-wide audience to better understand the external environment
affecting women’s entrepreneurship, as well as the specific issues related to gender equality
in entrepreneurship and female entrepreneurship initiatives in the 8 participating countries.
1.2. Purpose of the Study and Report
The primary purpose of the Entrepreneurial Environment Study is to describe and
analyse the environment in which women entrepreneurs start businesses in Hungary. The
environment is summarised in a ScoreCard Diagramme. The report explains and justifies
the scores assigned in the diagramme and highlights good practices. The report is also
meant to provide a spring board for discussion and debate on how best to encourage and
support women’s enterprise. Recommendations are made to policy makers, government,
the research community, business development service providers and financial institutions
such as banks, guarantors and microcredit providers.
The secondary purpose of the report is to provide the basis for a cross country
comparison amongst the 8 countries participating in the project. The cross country
comparison will enable policy makers and practitioners to identify strengths and weakness
and good practices that can be adopted from other countries in order to promote gender
equality in entrepreneurship and microfinance in their own countries.
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