Our world loves to think of itself as incredibly progressive, especially among the youth that make up the great majority of company founders. Regretfully, things are not quite as perfect as they appear. Most serious literature that explores the culture and interpersonal dynamics of the startup scene reveals a scenario in which women face discrimination and undervaluation comparable to that of certain older, historically patriarchal sectors.
Sad would be the ideal term to use to characterize such a situation. It is regrettable that women founders must put in twice as much effort to succeed in the startup market and only receive a small portion of venture capital financing.
Especially in light of the numerous benefits that women have that might support them in their business endeavors.
The ability to feel emotions
The term “emotional intelligence” refers to the type of intellect that deals with people’s feelings. For instance, a person possessing high emotional intelligence is more likely to be able to read and forecast the feelings of others and respond in a way that will, depending on the goal, be advantageous to both parties.
Overall, studies and research indicate that women have somewhat better emotional intelligence than males, at least on average. However, scientists believe that this is a topic that has to be handled very carefully.
This implies that interactions between female entrepreneurs and their partners, staff, investors, and ultimately consumers are more likely to be positive. This is an evident benefit in the current economic environment, where human interactions are becoming increasingly valued.
Improved capacity for multitasking
In the startup environment, multitasking is just part of daily existence. If startup founders hope to succeed in any significant way, they must be extraordinarily skilled at it. There is a lot of work to be done, deadlines are getting closer, and money is scarce.
In a setting like this, multitasking becomes commonplace.
The idea that women are more adept at multitasking than males is based on social and evolutionary factors rather than being the product of sitcoms or humorous TV ads. Due to evolution, women have faced much more challenges than males in starting and maintaining a family. Women stayed at home taking care of their children, gathering food, maintaining a dry and warm shelter, and other tasks while the males went hunting and trying to live.
Because they have had to do so for thousands of years due to this division of work, women have become more adept at multitasking. With only a few thousand years separating us from human civilization, these evolutionary distinctions haven’t had time to fade.
This evolutionary advantage women have can be very helpful in the field of entrepreneurship.
It should be noted that women are better at multitasking because of their more restrained sense of ego. A prime illustration of this in the present day are the male entrepreneurs who believe that using tools and assistance to help them keep organized is a sign of weakness. Women, however, are skilled at finishing tasks. Let it be, even if it means plastering post-it notes in every color across their workspace.
A more difficult path
Ironically, after they get over the first challenges, the very thing that was meant to discourage women from pursuing entrepreneurship in the first place also makes them more adept at it.
The bulk of games and toys “intended for girls” have nothing to do with entrepreneurship or any sort of autonomous and forward-thinking thinking, thus these barriers first arise at a very young age. When education begins, the setting sometimes becomes uncomfortable or even poisonous for young women since everything entrepreneurial or STEM related is so plainly boy-dominated.
Perhaps the saddest thing is that prejudice against women persists even in higher education, where it still exists to some extent.
Ultimately, though, overcoming all of this makes female entrepreneurs more resilient, diligent, and successful than their male colleagues.
When you combine this with a few “innate” advantages, the result is an ideal businessperson.
Final word
This article’s flow led the author to a pretty straightforward explanation for why the business world is still mostly a boys’ club.
It’s because these idealistic businesswomen also happen to be terrified of them.
Though it is a gloomy and melancholy idea, it might just be simple fear.
