At the 8th annual Dell Women Entrepreneur Network Summit today, Dell announced findings of the 2017 Women Entrepreneur Cities Index (WE Cities), revealing how 50 top global cities are fostering high-potential women entrepreneurs (HPWE). 

Building on 2016 WE Cities research, this study ranks cities based on the impact of local policies, programs and characteristics in addition to national laws and customs. 
 
The report ranks Dublin 35th on the list where it was commended for generous maternity leave policy, high quality education and accessibility to technology training. 
 
According to the report, top industries by employment are wholesale and retail sector, industry, human health and social work activities. Collaborative efforts between Dublin’s educational institutions and local entrepreneurship centers, such as Enterprise Ireland, have helped to boost the availability of Technology training organizations for women according to the index.

Though it ranked No. 29 for the Capital pillar, Dublin scores well above the median in Women’s Capital Base, with the City’s generous maternity and paternity leave policy seen as a major contributing factor. 

However, the report finds that the high cost of living and childcare are impediments. Furthermore, women entrepreneurs account for only one-quarter of local enterprise office grant recipients. Among Enterprise Ireland’s high growth potential start-up businesses, only 15% were women-led, on average between 2012 and 2015 and Dublin ranked below median in the ease of starting a business 

Commenting on the research, EVP and Chief Customer Officer at Dell, Karen Quintos said, "Globally, women’s entrepreneurship rates are growing more than 10 percent each year. In fact, women are as likely or more likely than men to start businesses in many markets. However, financial, cultural and political barriers can limit the success of these businesses."

She added, "By arming city leaders and policymakers with data-driven research and clear calls to action, we can collectively improve the landscape for high-potential women entrepreneurs, which in turn dramatically lifts a city’s economic prospects – as what is good for women is good for the economy."

The 50 cities were ranked as follows:
 
New York City
Bay Area
London
Boston
Stockholm
Los Angeles
Washington, D.C.
Singapore
Toronto
Seattle
Sydney
Paris
Chicago
Minneapolis
Austin
Hong Kong
Melbourne
Atlanta
Amsterdam
Portland (OR)
Berlin
Taipei
Pittsburg
Tel Aviv
Copenhagen
Vancouver
Houston
Johannesburg
Barcelona
Seoul
Munich
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale
Nairobi
Dublin
Warsaw
Belfast
Milan
Beijing
Tokyo
Bangalore
Kuala Lumpur
Sao Paulo
Dubai
Shanghai
Mexico City
Lima
Guadalajara
Istanbul
Delhi
Jakarta

Source: www.businessworld.ie