In term of networking, there is such a small number of women in business today that finding that ability to network is challenging. Studies have also been done indicating that men are getting more concerned about networking with women in meetings, in private meetings and breakfasts and so on. That is a big challenge that women face.
In terms of unconscious biases, they are everywhere. We see that in many situations. Studies show that, for instance, in venture capital, when people ask entrepreneurs venture capital questions, if they're in front of a panel, the questions they ask women are very different from the questions they ask men. The questions they ask men are very proactive and encouraging them to have a positive approach. The questions they ask women are more of a how-to and put them in more of a defensive and less confident position.
Those are some of the things that really need to be changed in our society, and the criticalness of gaining confidence through networking. One of the recommendations of our committee was to accelerate the number of women in accelerators and incubators across our country. Only a few organizations do that. For instance, at MaRS, 30% of the entrepreneurs are women. That is not the case across Canada. We're asking, in one of our recommendations, “Please collect the data. Follow that.” Once you report—it's amazing in business, and I expect in this type of environment—people will respond.