More German Women Opt to Become Their Own Bosses

The German Federal Statistics Office revealed figures on Wednesday indicating that an increasing number of women in Germany are opting to become their own bosses. Since 1991, the number of women who went it alone rose by 32 percent to one million in April 2002, the institute said. In comparison, the number of men who became their own bosses only rose by 16 percent for the same period with 2,6 million self-employed men in April 2002. But despite the surge in women setting up their own business, they still remain underrepresented in the overall picture of self-employment. While women accounted for 44 percent of all employed people in April 2002, only 28 percent of those who were self-employed were women, the statistics indicated. As compared to April 1991, the number of women working only grew by 0.2 percent, the statisticians concluded.