New research has found that less than half of female business owners are confident for their businesses post-Brexit.
RateSetter Business Finance found that 21 percent of male business owners are optimistic about Brexit, which compares just ten percent of women who believe that leaving the EU will be beneficial for their business.
“Overall, it is clear that small business leaders are not at all optimistic about the impact of Brexit, but we were rather surprised to find such a difference between the views of male and female business people.” said Paul Marston, Managing Director of RateSetter Commercial Finance.
This was not the only difference that the new research highlighted between male and female business owners. RateSetter Business Finance found that almost twice as likely to look for a strong relationship with their finance provider as their male counterparts.
“The drastic reduction of over 1,000[i] branches across the UK inevitably means that it’s become more difficult for banks to form a strong relationship with business customers and to get to know their businesses. Some may think it ironic that an online lender like RateSetter builds stronger relationships with businesses, but that is exactly what we are doing,” added Paul Marston.
“We are in the process of building a national network of Regional Managers precisely so that we can meet our customers, pay visits to their premises and listen to their stories. We believe that by looking behind the numbers at the people running those businesses we make better credit decisions.”
Businesses are not the only concern for women, once the UK has left the EU.
“Britain is leaving the EU and I would like to know what that means for women. For the cost of my childcare, for the likelihood of closing the pay gap and for the chances of this country ever ratifying the pan-European Istanbul Convention to end violence against women and girls.” wrote Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party.
“I don’t know the answers to any of those questions because none of them were discussed by the other political parties in the miserably blinkered campaign that preceded our nation’s referendum vote.”
Theresa May is currently in talks, negotiating the terms of Brexit.