Specific credit lines for women with special conditions and reduced interest, free courses for entrepreneurs and guaranteeing participation in public policies and decision instances are among the main demands of women who participated on Monday (11) in the Free Conference: women in the center – economic democracy, entrepreneurship and rights, held online and in person, in Brasilia. 
The proposals highlighted by the group will be sent to join the final document of the 5th National Conference on Policies for Women, which will also be held in Brasilia, between September 29 and October 1.
According to the General Coordinator of Entrepreneurship Management of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship, Microenterprise and Small Business, Raquel Ribeiro, who participated in the meeting, the free conference was a space to discuss ways to improve working conditions so that women can develop their own businesses.
“Research shows us that most of these women undertake out of necessity. And precisely because they undertake as a need is that they need effective public policies to account for the entire support system, both access to credit, entrepreneurial education, development policies for formalization and expansion of these businesses, but also the construction of support network, discussion of our society’s care, access to day care, health, so that these women can have more time to dedication to their time business, ”he says.
In Brazil, there are more than 10 million women entrepreneurs. Most are mother (70%) and have average revenues of approximately $ 2,000.
“The numbers point out that women undertake out of necessity, they are better pays, but they devote less time to their business than men and have average lower revenues than men. So, at some point, this account does not close,” adds Raquel.
Throughout the day, women from different regions and different social and economic contexts have discussed the main demands to improve the conditions of female entrepreneurship in the country.
Among the points debated is the facilitation for granting credit, so that women can start or even keep their own businesses. Entrepreneur Dora Gomes, leader of the Racial Equality Committee of the Women of Brazil Group, argued that, in granting credit by financial institutions, especially for new entrepreneurs, it is considered social risk, as many do not fill the criteria required, for example, by large banks. “We live in a very unequal country, economically speaking, unequal not only in racial matter, but also in social reasons,” he said.
She also advocated greater participation of women in advisory councils so that their interests are placed on the agenda. “We need to have black, peripheral, quilombola, indigenous women, present in advisory councils, because if we are not there, no one will think about us when talking about entrepreneurial education, credit.”
Daise Rosas, representative of the Reafro Institute, highlighted advances and the need for policies aimed at female entrepreneurship. “We have never been met, we have never been looking at this look that is happening now. We need to ensure that the policy of They undertake Remain, that the policy of female entrepreneurship remains, ”he said.
After the discussions, the following priorities were defined, which will be taken to the national meeting:
Credit access and inclusive financing: Create specific lines of credit for women with reduced interest rates and analysis criteria that consider alternative guarantees such as community trust and informal payment history. The proposal includes the implementation of public funds and partnerships with fintechs and community banks, prioritizing social and historical risk analysis in communities, as well as offering mandatory financial training and technical monitoring during the use of credit.
Training, Training and Entrepreneurial Education: Implement a National Training Program for Women Entrepreneurs, with free courses in technical and socio -emotional skills, access to mentoring, traveling workshops and specialized consultancies. The program should consider diversity and intersectionalities, ensuring affordable materials and inclusive methodologies, focusing on economic autonomy and business sustainability led by women.
Inclusion and Intersectionality: To ensure that all female entrepreneurship policies ensure the inclusion of black, indigenous and disabled women, soil and resident mothers of peripheral and rural territories. The proposal provides for the creation of specific programs for acceleration, incubation and access to markets, adapted to the symbolic, structural and cultural barriers faced by these groups, with mandatory representation in advice and decision instances.
Both Deise and Dora, along with Scarlett Rodrigues, who is part of the Entrepreneurial Woman Network, were elected as delegates who will represent the group and take the discussion they had to the national stage.
For the general coordinator for the promotion of economic equality of women at the Ministry of Women, Simone Schaffer, the three priorities defined at the meeting are in the direction of the national debate on female entrepreneurship. She pointed out that access to credit is still a bottleneck for women.
“Many times, they do not feel prepared to request credit. Often, they need microcredit and the demands are very large. We are talking about women, often in vulnerable situations, women who already receive a family allowance and who cannot give the required guarantees. So, it is necessary with low interest rates or even guarantee of promotion for these women,” he says.
National conference
The latest National Conference on Women’s Policies was held in 2016. The objective is to promote the discussion and formulation of public policies that guarantee gender equality and the guarantee of female rights.
Before the national stage are being held free conferences, which take place since April 28 and continue until August 15. These are spaces to ensure the participation and in-depth discussion of relevant topics for this portion of society. In addition, municipal and regional conferences were held between April 28 and July 28. The state and district conferences take place between July 1st and August 31st.
