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Women entrepreneurs get help

The National Youth Commission yesterday unveiled a program designed to help disadvantaged women empower themselves by becoming entrepreneurs.

The program provides internship opportunities to help women gain the experience required to start their own businesses. It is being sponsored by the National Youth Commission's Women's Entrepreneurship program, which is now in its seventh year. This is the first time the focus has been on "disadvantaged women," defined as single parents, low-income earners, or domestic abuse victims.

Some of the business owners participating in the project spoke yesterday of the joys and hardships of being an entrepreneur, especially the difficulties faced by women.

"I've seen myself how when women start earning more money than their husbands, their status in the marriage goes up," said Hsu Tsang-ping (許倉賓), the male founder of a breakfast shop franchise.

"I believe that there will be no more divorces if all women earn money, fill their heads with knowledge and put make up on their faces," he said.

Tseng Feng-yu (曾鳳玉), who is divorced, took exception to Hsu's implication that the onus was on women to ensure a successful marriage.

"I know how to put makeup on my face. It didn't help my marriage," said the founder of a chain of Dan Dan noodle restaurants.

"My husband's gambling ruined my credit. I started out on my own, with three daughters and NT$7 million [US$212,700] in debt. I would have killed myself by burning charcoal -- but it wasn't in fashion back then," she said.

Tseng said her experience illustrates the need for more support for at-risk women.

"To start my business, the small loans I got from family and friends were not enough. I had to go to underground moneylenders," she said.

Now she has four restaurants in the Tainan and Kaohsiung area.

"The sense of belonging and loyalty we have is incredible. Workers at my restaurant have flexibility -- if anybody needs to take the afternoon off to get her kid to the doctor, somebody else will take her shift. People come through for each other because we're all in the same boat. We are one family," she said.

A survey released by the Association of Chain and Franchise Promotion, Taiwan, yesterday said that 70 percent of disadvantaged women have thought about starting a business, with 61 percent citing lack of capital as the primary hurdle, followed by a lack of professional knowledge at 21 percent.
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