Urssaf unveils its statistics on the place of women in entrepreneurship

As the reference collector of social contributions, Urssaf has a wealth of statistical data which gives it a special place in observing the French socio-economic situation. Urssaf has thus developed in-depth, high-quality knowledge of its users, including women entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship is becoming more feminine, driven by the status of self-employment. At the end of 2023, if the share of women among traditional self-employed workers remains (37,9%), that of self-employed women reaches 44,5%, compared to 42,7% last year.

In 2022, the number of women business creators will increase. They represent 43,7% of business creators, compared to 40,6% in 2021. Nearly 378.300 businesses were created by women in 2022, including nearly 309.000 self-employed. Self-employed women represent 44,0% of creators in 2022.

The typical profile

On average, a self-employed woman is 46 years old (2022 data). 11,8% of them combine several activities in the private and public sector at the end of 2022, i.e. 5% more than in 2021. A share close to that of men (10,7%).

In comparison, a self-employed woman is, on average, 42 years old (2022 data) with an average income of 6 euros (598 data). 2022% of them combine several activities in the private and public sector, compared to 31,4% of men.

An income gap still observed between women and men for these two categories

In 2021, self-employed women declare an average annual income (excluding automatic taxation) of €39.363 in 2021 compared to €49.304 for men, or 20,2% less.

In 2022, self-employed women declare, on average, an annual income 18,9% lower than men, i.e. €6.598 and €8.135 respectively.

These differences are partly explained by the nature of the activities invested in: they are in fact over-represented in the least remunerative sectors (hairdressing and personal care; health and social action, other personal services).

It should be noted, however, that the average income of self-employed people is more homogeneous between women and men than for traditional self-employed workers. The gaps between women and men are less than 10% in more sectors.

Whether for independent workers or self-employed women, construction remains the sector least popular with women.

The sector where we find the largest share of independent women is non-food retail (excluding pharmacies) which includes 47,6% women.

Among self-employed people, for the first time this year, a sector is equal: non-food retail (excluding pharmacies) with 50% women.

Thanks to its expertise, its services dedicated to entrepreneurs and its central role within social protection, Urssaf is an essential partner for entrepreneurs at each stage of their activity.

For several years, Urssaf has supported the promotion of parity in the French entrepreneurial world. In this context, it forms partnerships with several associations which work to support women entrepreneurs in their business creation and retraining projects. So, she goes to meet the creators to give them information and create a relationship of trust with them. Its objective is to support them in the creation and management of their activity, allowing them to better understand their Urssaf procedures.

In recent years, partnerships have been signed with the Les Premières and Femmes des Territoires networks. This year, Urssaf also integrated the Palatine Women Project program, a mentoring system intended to support female athletes and para-athletes in retraining with a business project. Finally, for the past 3 years, the organization has participated in the Be a Boss tour, a national event aimed at promoting female entrepreneurship.

For Damien Ientile, Director of Urssaf: “By meeting women entrepreneurs our objective is to help them complete their administrative procedures and thus promote the development of their projects while allowing them to sustain them with greater ease. Through this support, we wish to encourage women who wish to get started while promoting professional equality and parity throughout the country. »

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.