Female SME owners put in more time than men

Date: 29th October 2008

Women who run their own small to medium enterprise (SME) spend more time at work than their male counterparts, research has found.

An investigation by the high street lender Abbey found that female owners work on average three hours a week longer than men.

Statistics from the bank also showed that three quarters of SME managers believed being their own boss afforded them a much better work-life balance, compared with working for another company.

Paula Ickinger, a spokeswoman for Abbey business banking, said: "Whether women feel under pressure to work longer hours or that they just prefer to spend more time at work than men, both male and female SME owners say that they have a better work-life balance than people who work for someone else."

Another interesting statistic from Abbey's findings showed that SMEs based in the transport sector worked longer hours than in any other industry.

In other news, business start-ups have until Friday (October 31st) to file a paper self-assessment tax return, which an accountant can provide invaluable help with.