Strome Business Minute With Dr. Jeff Tanner

MasterCard released its third annual study of women entrepreneurship and noted that for the first time, the US ranked first, narrowly edging out New Zealand. Other top countries included Canada, Israel, Poland and the Philippines, countries with very different histories, which signals the possibility for progress. At the bottom are middle-eastern countries which restrict women’s freedom. African countries are most likely to exhibit a gender balance in actual entrepreneurship. Other factors that make up the index include market factors such as labor force participation and financial market inclusion, education, and cultural inclusion. Mexico, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia saw the biggest declines year over year, but the study was created to encourage and mark improvement, such as France, Taiwan, and Indonesia.