Women become entrepreneurs by choice, not as a fallback option. They are more highly educated, prefer to work with other women, and are attentive to the well-being of their employees. This is the profile of women-led businesses highlighted in a report produced by Unioncamere (the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Crafts, and Agriculture), with the support of the Tagliacarne Research Center and SiCamera (Italian Chambers of Commerce Agency). Of course, there are also downsides: these companies tend to be less productive, smaller in size, and heavily reliant on family capital at start-up, a factor that limits their willingness to invest and innovate. These characteristics also help explain the slow progress recorded over the past ten years: women-owned businesses increased by only 0.4% from 2014 to the end of last year and today account for fewer than one in four companies. That said, the report also shows that when these businesses invest in financial capital – by using incentives and bank credit at start-up – their productivity rises by 33%, reaching an increase of 40% when training is added as well. The 1.3 million women-led businesses operating in Italy last year, representing 22.2% of all Italian companies, prove to be a key driver for boosting female participation in the labor market.