On the 15th of July, 2025, the RE-FEM project hosted a RE-FEM Talk session, an online discussion titled “Policy Making with and for Women Entrepreneurs – Lessons from the RE-FEM World Café events.” The session aimed to explore how participatory formats such as World Cafés can help shape more inclusive and effective policies that support women entrepreneurs across Europe. Drawing on the experiences gathered during the World Café events held in RE-FEM partner countries, the discussion reflected a wide range of first-hand experiences, challenges, and aspirations expressed by women entrepreneurs — ranging from access to financing and balancing family responsibilities to the need for visibility, peer networks, and gender-sensitive policy approaches.
The Talk featured insights from Dr. Orsolya Gergely, Associate Professor at Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, and Nieves García Pereira, Head of International Projects at Andalucía Emprende. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Katalin Oborni, Senior Project Manager at HÉTFA’s Division of International Cooperation.
Among the key recommendations that emerged from the RE-FEM World Café events were the need for training programmes that are sensitive to the specific realities of women entrepreneurs, as well as mentoring schemes tailored to their needs. Emphasis was placed on the importance of community building—not only as a source of support but also as a space for learning and confidence-building. Dr. Orsolya Gergely underlined that the way we speak about women entrepreneurs in society must change: they should be portrayed as competent, active contributors to the economy. Shaping public narratives and attitudes is essential for systemic change, and this must go hand in hand with educational efforts that begin as early as possible. Education on financial literacy, entrepreneurial capacity-building, and the development of an entrepreneurial mindset should be introduced from a young age to help close existing gender gaps in business.
Dr. Gergely also emphasized the significance of open, horizontal dialogue and highlighted that the World Café methodology provided a space where not only professional expertise but also personal stories and first-hand experiences could surface. These conversations helped reveal nuances that are often overlooked in traditional policymaking processes—such as emotional burdens, invisible work, and structural disadvantages that disproportionately affect women entrepreneurs.
Nieves García Pereira stressed that the creation of meaningful support measures depends on a deep understanding of entrepreneurs’ day-to-day realities. Drawing on her extensive work in EU-funded projects and entrepreneurial training, she highlighted how digitalisation, sustainability, and tailored business advice are essential pillars of successful women-led business development. She also noted that invisible work—the unpaid, unrecognised responsibilities women often carry both in their businesses and in their personal lives—was a recurring theme in all the discussions. Addressing this issue is crucial for designing effective support systems. Moreover, she reinforced that many of the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs are not women’s issues alone—they are societal issues. Inclusive, gender-sensitive policymaking must therefore involve men as active participants in both dialogue and implementation.
For more insights and in-depth reflections shared during the RE-FEM Talk, the full recording is available on YouTube at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0cifS2zah0
The discussion drew on insights from the World Café events held across RE-FEM partner countries, where women entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, and advocates came together to discuss the situation and challenges faced by women-led businesses and female entrepreneurs. The Talk underscored the importance of recognising women entrepreneurs as key drivers of both economic progress and social innovation. As the RE-FEM project evolves, these dialogues and the resulting recommendations — from gender-sensitive training and tailored mentoring to early financial education and inclusive narratives — will meaningfully inform the project’s future activities.