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In honour of International Women's Day on March 8th, we wanted to take a moment to thank and celebrate all of the amazing women/womxn-owned and operated businesses that are part of our membership.

 

IWD aims to celebrate women's achievement, raise awareness against bias, and inspire global communities and individutals to take action for equality. IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific; collective action and shared ownership for driving gender parity is what makes International Women's Day impactful.

 

While 85% of women still express interest in starting their own business, despite the challenges faced during the global COVID-19 pandemic, currently, only 16% of businesses are owned by women - and for those who do, 58% of those Canadian women only make 58% of what male business owners make.

 

 

 

Research has shown time and time again that companies with the most women in executive positions can potentially deliver share performance and profits that are close to 50% higher than those companies with the fewest (McKinsey), and organizations with one or more women on the board delivered higher average returns on equity, lower net debt-to-equity, and better average growth (Credit Suisse).

 

Companies that are focused on gender inclusion and that prioritize the advancement of women reap a variety of benefits:

 

For more interesting statistics on women in business, check out The Niagara Institute's incredible infographic resource of statistics regarding women in business, highlighting both the accomplisments and gains women have made in business, as well as the work that still needs to be done to achieve parity.

 

 

 

BarterPay Niagara is proud of the many amazing women/womxn-owned businesses that we have within our membership. If you're looking to support both women and business and help strengthen the Niagara business community, checkout some of the great offerings our members have available on barter:

 

 

 

 

The Niagara Region is full of resources and initiatives that have been developed specifically to help women entrepreneurs and business owners. The Niagara Women's Enterprise Centre and Spark Niagara Present the Niagara Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative, which provides soft entry and wrap around supports for women who desire to take their business ideas from inception to incubation, acceleration and beyond such as coaching, consulting and mentorship.

 

If you're looking to develop your presence as a woman and leader in your organization, check out The Niagara Institute's Women on the Rise program, which covers self-awareness, authenticity, assertiveness, influence, aspiration and goal setting, and accountability, all of which are essential for women in business to succeed today and in the future.

 

Connecting with other women in business can also help support you as you pursue your business goals. The GNCC's Women in Niagara membership division offers bursaries, networking events, and mentorship and also organizes the annual Women in Business Awards, which celebrate the accomplishments of the incredible women business owners who continue to strengthen our community.

 

The Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre also has a number of programs and services which support women in the Niagara region, and produced a Micro-Business Toolkit for Women Business Owners to assist women in strategizing and planning for their business.

 

TOES Niagara also offers an incredibly valuable program called Stepping up for Black Entrepreneurship, which focuses

on women and youth, to address the persistent structural racial and gender barriers Black women and youth entrepreneurs face in accessing market opportunities, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic crisis it has provoked and increase the number and efficiency of Black owned/led businesses in Niagara.