They say men are from Mars and women from Venus—but do these planetary divides extend to entrepreneurship in the Netherlands? A comprehensive Ondernemend Nederland survey by Van Lanschot reveals intriguing contrasts. For instance, female entrepreneurs exhibit higher perfectionism (41.5% vs. 35.5% for men) and prioritize employee working conditions more (23% vs. 14%).
All entrepreneurs occasionally log long hours, straining work-life balance, but women report greater challenges. Men are also far more open to selling their businesses: twice as many expect to do so within three years if a strong offer arises. Notably, 28% of women remain undecided on selling. The survey further shows men achieving millionaire status twice as often as women.
Women tend to be more conservative with personal wealth building, with 41.5% opting to invest compared to 57.5% of men. Improving working conditions ranks highly for women (23%) over men (14%). Self-perceptions differ too: women more often describe themselves as 'perfectionists,' while men favor 'innovative.'
