Women are more rarely applying for bank loans for their businesses than men or mixed-gender teams. "The reason for this is not that they find it harder to obtain bank loans. Instead they are more likely to refrain from applying for a loan because they expect it will not be granted," reported Dr Sebastian Nielen at the RKW Competence Centre’s online event "Capital for all? The gender gap in start-up financing".
Women are also using venture capital less frequently: "Instead, women-led companies are more likely than men-led companies to rely on public funding or financial support from their private network (friends and family)," explained the IfM researcher.
