Women entrepreneurs, the biggest financial victims of the pandemic

«The “load” for the Greek in business is huge and is growing due to the unequal distribution of roles and the problems that the pandemic brings with it,» she said in a statement. the president of the Association of Business Women of Greece (SEGE) Apostolina Tsaltabasi.

The President pointed out that, because of the coronavirus, more and more women have passed into the spectrum of economically inactive population, as closed their businesses or left the labour market.

«We don't see any concern to support women to keep their businesses alive. There are no measures for them to help them join or stay in business. For example, there is no provision to address the issues that will arise from a possible lockout of schools. There is no support for solving such problems of everyday life that are likely to put a definitive end to women's entrepreneurship.

According to the President, the impoverishment threatens even more today women entrepreneurs in our country, as Greece «leads in gender equality deficit and is last in all indicators of women's integration in the economy, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality and the October 2020 figures».

According to the President, «women entrepreneurs - regardless of their sector of activity - are the largest economic victims of the pandemic». And it explains why women entrepreneurs are disadvantaged in relation to their male colleagues, but also in relation to employees, whether male or female: «During the period of the closed schools and elderly care facilities, all employers had the option of special-purpose leave, which was rightly instituted and implemented. At the same time, entrepreneurs - including professionals with no employees or few staff - had to be present and support their business. They had to stay up and running.

But they all had businesspeople the same opportunities? Unfortunately, no!», Ms Chaltampasi adds: «Women entrepreneurs were forced to close their businesses or leave them ungoverned much faster when schools and open care facilities for the elderly (KAPI, KIFI) were closed. lockdown was completed, the businesswoman was unable to return to her business, as schools, day care centers, and senior citizen facilities were all closed.».