I'll begin by saying that all the studies show that women rely heavily on family support or other means to start their businesses. They like to borrow much less than men and rely more on their own financial means and on those close to them. That's what we're seeing in Canada as well.
The African chapters of our organization tell us that, too often, women are in the informal sector, and we can say that the same holds somewhat true in Canada. Many women are sole proprietors and are not considered businesses. They don't like to incorporate. In Canada, as in Africa, we're therefore trying to encourage them to become more involved in the formal sector, so that banks and other institutions will agree to lend them money, for example.
It's good to do business with your family's help and in a slightly more personal way, but it's also good to have a bigger presence in the more formalized system, to be able to take advantage of everything it offers.