PayPal
Women Entrepreneurs Case Study
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as checks and money orders.
The Challenge
Representing 97.9% of Canada’s businesses, small businesses are the lifeblood of the Canadian economy. But, for small businesses to truly thrive, Canada needs an inclusive economy where business owners of all backgrounds can realize success.
Driven by this vision, and as an enabler of small business growth, PayPal Canada conducted an in-depth landscape study to better understand women’s entrepreneurship in Canada. Bringing greater clarity to the experiences faced by women small business owners was particularly relevant, given the Canadian federal government’s focus on women’s entrepreneurship.
The Solution
An online survey was conducted by Preference Analytics on behalf of PayPal Canada between January 26 and February 27, 2018. A sample of 1,000 Canadian business owners completed the survey. The precision of the online survey is measured using a confidence interval. In this case, the survey is accurate to within +/ - 3.0 percentage points.​
The Results
The study findings exposed a 58% revenue gap, with women entrepreneurs earning $68,000 less annually than their male peers running similar businesses. Ultimately, bridging this revenue gap could unlock an additional $88.2 billion in contribution to the Canadian economy.
Narrowing such a significant discrepancy in earnings between women and men entrepreneurs is no small task. However, study findings show that ecommerce tools play a pivotal role in closing the revenue gap and increasing the earning potential for women entrepreneurs.
In fact, women entrepreneurs using ecommerce tools reported earning 75% more than female peers who do not sell online. Increased access to capital was also highlighted as a revenue catalyst, yet access to funding remains a barrier.
Women entrepreneurs in Canada are pulling many of the right levers to position their businesses for success. With the right tools and support, women entrepreneurs can unlock tremendous benefits for the Canadian economy and for all Canadians.
We're proud to share this public version of our Women's Entrepreneurship Study here.