Female entrepreneurs differ from their male counterparts in many ways. While they are overrepresented in certain sectors, such as health and social services, they are underrepresented in others, such as manufacturing and construction. Companies run by women tend to be smaller than those run by men. Caregiving responsibilities often limit their working hours. Additionally, women have less access to capital and tend to grow more slowly.

Women's entrepreneurship: Vienna in a city comparison

In order to promote female entrepreneurship, the specific situation of female entrepreneurs in a region must be taken into account. To this end, the factors inhibiting and supporting women's entrepreneurship must be identified. This study aims to compare Vienna with other cities in terms of female entrepreneurship. The cities selected for comparison with the federal capital are those that are comparable on cultural grounds and located relatively close to Vienna: Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Hamburg and Prague.

Vienna as a location for female entrepreneurs: structures and trends

The results show that, in 2024, 38% of self-employed people in Vienna were women. A similarly high proportion of women were self-employed in Hamburg, Prague and Berlin, a lower proportion in Bratislava, and a significantly higher proportion in Budapest. In general, female entrepreneurs have a high level of education. 72% of female entrepreneurs in Vienna had completed a university or college degree in 2024.The proportion of self-employed women with a high level of education was also high in other cities, but lower than in Vienna. Vienna leads the way with a part-time employment rate of 45%, although this figure is similarly high in the other cities. This suggests that family care responsibilities, particularly in German-speaking countries, continue to be primarily the responsibility of women, representing an obstacle to female entrepreneurship.