A WOMAN who is economically empowered is one who can contribute to her home and can gain independence.
Moreover, women can use this independence to make a difference in their own lives, the lives of their children, and in their communities.
In Guyana, many women gain economic empowerment through entrepreneurship, and Credit Guarantee Fund Manager of the Small Business Bureau (SBB), Gillian Gittens-Edwards believes that this type of empowerment plays an important role in the lives of women.
At the SBB, 60 per cent of its microbusiness portfolio comprises women, which suggests that women are actively pursuing entrepreneurship as a means of income, even while they maintain their homes. “Many of the women are at home and have to take care of their children, and getting into their own business helps to make them financially stable; the impact that it has on their family is direct,” Gittens-Edwards said. She believes that entrepreneurship not only raises the standard of living for women, particularly for single-parent mothers, but can also serve as a stepping stone out of unfortunate situations.
“Women who, for example, are victims of domestic violence can pull themselves out of that environment. It is possible that if she starts earning her own money, this type of independence can serve as self-encouragement to leave that situation. Entrepreneurship can serve as a means of ‘getting out’ in such cases,” she said.
A PASSION OF HERS
Evidence of these benefits has been seen in the many years that Gittens-Edwards has operated in the micro-financing sector within the SBB and other organisations. A single-parent herself, she said that that small business development has been a passion of hers for many years.
“At one point, I was the lone female field officer while working at IPED,” she said. “I have also worked in the banking sector for years, but I have always come back to microenterprise and small-business development; it is where I am most comfortable.”
Gittens-Edwards has, over the past year, served as Acting Officer in Charge of the SBB, even as the organisation is on the verge of hiring a new Chief Executive Officer in the near future.
“It’s a challenge being Officer in Charge of an office like this, but I have grown a lot in terms of exposure, being able to manage and multi-task. I have grown, based on my being exposed to these responsibilities, and I welcome the challenges,” she said, adding:
“I don’t look at these hard tasks as something a man alone can do. Women can do anything; it depends on their attitude and once you have a good, strong team.”
This businesswoman, who herself has provided many women with the opportunity of starting their own business, is also personally aware of the challenges of balancing a busy work life with home life. “You have to work hard, because you want to provide the best for them, but as a result, some things end up suffering,” she said.
It is against this background that she believes that micro-financing bodies such as the SBB should develop programmes where they consider such dynamics, and seek to assist women entrepreneurs on how to deal with them.
And though the SBB doesn’t currently offer any gender-based programmes, she said that these are considerations that will be kept in mind by the Small Business Council which governs the SBB, should such programmes be held in the future.
This notwithstanding, she also believes that while focus on women is important due to the need for equality and empowerment, it is also important that focus be placed on programmes that can benefit young boys and men due to the challenges that they face in society as well.

GO FOR IT!
As a bit of personal and professional advice to women, Gittens-Edwards suggests that women who wish to start their own businesses pursue it at all costs, but that they first do the relevant consultation with an organisation like the SBB or even a businessperson with years of experience. “They need to look at their skills and what opportunities are available. It is also important for them to have a plan. Women should know that they are free to come into the SBB to discuss their options,” she said.
One of the most important things that they can start with, she suggested, is that they look right in their communities for what services or products may be lacking and match those needs with their relevant skills. Once they realise that they can fill that gap, all it takes is perseverance and some know- how for a woman to empower herself and become a business owner.