More than a decade after Prowess Connect launched A Manifesto for Women in Business ahead of the 2015 general election, the same five priorities still shape the policy conversation for women in business UK.
The original manifesto, coordinated by Prowess, set out what politicians needed to do to help women-led enterprises survive, thrive and create jobs. The PDF is no longer available, but the arguments are more relevant than ever. In 2026, the policy debate still centres on leadership, skills, childcare, social security and investment.
Women-led businesses are a major economic force. The 2019 Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship estimates that women-led SMEs contribute around £85 billion to the UK economy. The same review found that only one in three UK entrepreneurs is a woman. Yet the barriers identified in 2015 remain stubbornly familiar: lower start-up capital, uneven access to childcare, a social security system built around employees, and under-representation in investment decisions.
For more on the current state of women-led enterprise, see Women in Business: Key UK Facts.
Why Women in Business UK Still Need a Policy Agenda
Between 2008 and 2013, self-employment among women in the UK rose by 30%, compared with just 7% for men, according to the original Prowess Connect manifesto. That trajectory has continued. Women are starting businesses at scale, but they are not receiving policy support that matches their contribution.
The result is a persistent enterprise gap. The original Prowess manifesto and subsequent research suggest women-led businesses are more likely to be micro-businesses, more likely to be home-based, and more likely to close in the early years than businesses led by men. This is not because women run weaker businesses. Research consistently shows that once established, women-led firms perform as well as, or better than, male-led equivalents. The difference is access to resources, networks and public policy designed around traditional male career patterns.
Five Priorities for Women in Business UK Policy in 2026
1. Leadership
Leadership sets the tone for economic policy. Following the 2024 general election, women make up 242 of the 650 MPs in the House of Commons, or around 37%, up from 191 MPs (29%) in 2015, according to the House of Commons Library. The 2024 FTSE Women Leaders Review shows women held roughly 42% of FTSE 350 board positions. But senior executive pipelines, venture-capital partnerships and local political leadership remain far from balanced.
Gender-balanced leadership is not only an equality issue. Diverse teams deliver better financial results and more resilient decision-making. When economic policy is designed, women’s interests and experiences must be in the room.
What is needed: Bold steps to improve the gender balance of business and political leadership, including targets for senior executive roles and transparent reporting on diversity in public appointments.
2. Skills to close the start-up gender gap
Women’s businesses that become established perform as well as those led by men, but they grow more slowly and are more likely to close in the early years. Lower levels of funding and resources, and the resulting lower self-confidence at start-up, are key reasons.
Training works. Enterprise training can increase women’s chances of starting a business and build their confidence. Women are more likely to take part in support that is designed specifically for their circumstances and delivered by people who understand self-employment.
Today, programmes such as Start Up Loans Female Founders, Help to Grow and sector-specific women’s business networks offer valuable support. But they need to be better coordinated, properly funded and free of jargon.
What is needed: Tailored training and support to take the brakes off women’s enterprise, with ring-fenced funding for women-focused business support.
3. Childcare and maternity
The original Prowess manifesto found that women-led businesses close for personal reasons far more often than because of business failure, with the peak risk between ages 25 and 34. It also found that caring for children or older relatives is the greatest brake on women’s businesses at every age.
Self-employed women return to work more quickly after having children, receive lower maternity pay and rarely have maternity cover. Maternity Allowance for the self-employed is modest and does not replace maternity cover. Single parents face amplified pressures.
Since 2015, the government has expanded Tax-Free Childcare and is rolling out more free childcare for eligible working parents in England, including 30 hours a week for children from nine months old. Yet many self-employed parents still fall through gaps. Fluctuating incomes can make it hard to meet eligibility thresholds, and free hours do not always cover the atypical hours of a business owner.
For a practical guide, see Free Childcare Self Employed UK: The 30-Hour Offer Explained.
What is needed: A full review of maternity and childcare support for parents who run their own business, including Maternity Allowance reform and childcare subsidies that recognise irregular earnings.
4. Social security for the flexible
UK social security was designed for employees. The original manifesto warned that Universal Credit’s minimum income floor would penalise the self-employed, particularly women, and discourage self-employment. Those concerns proved well-founded.
The resilience and flexibility of the self-employed has been essential for economic recovery. Many self-employed people, including a disproportionate number of women, rely on in-work support. Women are still more likely than men to move into self-employment from unemployment or to combine part-time self-employment with caring responsibilities or their own health needs. A safety net that assumes a monthly pay cheque does not fit their reality.
What is needed: An enabling social security safety net for the self-employed, including fair treatment under Universal Credit, accessible sick pay and parental support that recognises irregular earnings.
5. A fair share of investment and funding
Austerity and recovery spending after 2010 hit women hardest, while investment to rebalance the economy overwhelmingly supported male-dominated sectors and larger firms. A decade on, the pattern has not fully reversed.
The 2019 Alison Rose Review found that women in the UK still start businesses with lower levels of funding across every size and sector. This undercapitalisation, not gender, suppresses growth. The causes are complex: women often have fewer fallback resources and more cautious aspirations, and investment committees remain male-dominated. The British Business Bank reported in 2022 that all-female founder teams received only around 2% of UK venture capital investment.
Initiatives that combine funding with training and mentoring can help close the gap. The British Business Bank and the Investing in Women Code are part of the response, but they need to scale.
What is needed: A fair share of government-supported business investment and funding, including more women in economic decision-making and gender-impact assessment of investment decisions.
How to Use This Agenda
If you are a woman business owner, network or supporter, you can still use these principles to lobby your local MP and council candidates. Find contact details for your MP on the UK Parliament website.
The agenda can also stimulate debate in the media and through social media networks. If you would like to discuss the Manifesto for Women in Business, or to find out how Prowess supports women entrepreneurs today, please contact Prowess.
The 2026 Agenda for Women in Business UK
The 2015 manifesto was a lobbying tool for its moment. In 2026, women in business UK policy debates have moved on in detail but not in substance. Leadership, skills, childcare, social security and investment remain the five areas where political action would unlock the most growth. Women-led businesses already contribute billions to the UK economy. With the right policy support, that contribution could be far larger.
