Pandemic sees fewer women opening own businesses in Brazil

Welcome to “Number of the Week,” where we choose a single figure that helps understand what is going on in Brazil. This week, we show why Brazilian women opened fewer businesses last year. 

932k

women opened a business in 2020

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of women investors in the Brazilian stock market passed the milestone of 1 million. It would seem like the gender gap is narrowing in the country. However, a survey by proScore, a digital credit bureau and scoring authority, shows that female participation in commercial ventures decreased last year, after five years on the up. 

According to the survey — which collated data concerning the number of women owning stakes in businesses or companies composed only of women, for example — the health crisis brought down the number of new companies back to 2016 levels across all segments.