Panorama do empreendedorismo feminino no Brasil de 2018 a 2024

Abstract

This research analyzes the evolution of female entrepreneurship in Brazil between 2018 and 2024, focusing on women's participation as business owners. The analysis used data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD)/Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) on business owners, as well as information from the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE) and the Ministry of Entrepreneurship, Microenterprise and Small Business (MEMP), organized into time series by sex, age group, education level, and sector of activity. Pre-COVID (2018-2019), pandemic (2020-2021), and post-COVID (2022-2024) timeframes were used. The results show an increase of approximately 9% in the number of women leading businesses between 2018 and 2024, reaching about 10.4 million female entrepreneurs, which corresponds to about one-third of the total number of business owners in the country. This increase is accompanied by higher average education levels and greater formalization. Although there is a strong concentration in micro and small businesses in the service sector, women remain more vulnerable to unemployment and credit restrictions compared to men. Despite the significant growth in the number of female entrepreneurs, asymmetries persist in income, formalization, access to credit, and inclusion in higher-profitability sectors. This highlights the need for specific public policies to support financial inclusion and reduce institutional barriers to expand their potential for economic development and promote equity.