Today the Government has announced new support for women's enterprise as part of a wider plan for economic recovery.
Research shows that women are almost half as likely as men to be engaged in entrepreneurial activity, and while Britain's women are more entrepreneurial than those in Germany and Japan, they are less likely than women in the USA to set up their own business.
For too long, as a country, we have failed to make the most of the skills, experience and talents of women. And despite the difficult decisions that need to be taken, there is much we can do to make sure that our economy emerges stronger and fairer, and operates in the interests of the working majority.
This Government will introduce flexible parental leave and extend flexible working; it has got more women onto boards; supported greater gender equality in business and helped women who want to get into work.
This morning, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced that the Government will fund 5,000 mentors for new and existing female entrepreneurs who want to start or grow their own business.
Theresa May said: "As a government, we want the UK to be the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and for the next decade to be the most entrepreneurial and dynamic in Britain's history - women can be at the heart of that."