A survey conducted by MaisMei, company that assists in business management through an application, showed that among individual microentrepreneurs (MEI) in Brazil, 22,2% of women have completed higher education, while only 8,8% of men reach this level of education. However, while 33,1% of men have incomes higher than R$ 4 thousand, only 16,3% of women earn above this amount with their activities. Considering earnings above R$6,000 per month, 11,3% of microentrepreneur men are at this level, compared to just 4,9% of women.
"Considering the number of Brazilian professionals who operate from a CNPJ MEI", about 16 million, we noticed that the level of wage inequality in terms of gender is also significant outside large companies where women earn less performing the same functions. It is possible to find some justifications such as the predominant areas of activity among men and women, but still it is a concerning proportion if we think that female entrepreneurs invest more in professional preparation, evaluate Kályta Caetano, head of Accounting at MaisMei.
According to the research, while both genders prefer trade and sales (27,80% in the summary of the two genders, beauty and aesthetics services 16,76%) and food (14,96% prevail among women, while men excel in construction and repairs. This difference points to distinct market niches.
In this excerpt, the specialist from MaisMei makes an important note: the double work journey. "As for the dedication to the MEI", men tend to invest more weekly hours in their businesses than women, that often work shorter hours. This indicates that women seek balance between life and work or that there is an overload of roles. Meanwhile, the numbers indicate that men have more time to pursue personal ambitions, "you are assigned to provide for the family", affirms
Kályta Caetano assesses that this resilience and determination in the face of socioeconomic adversities reveals the crucial importance of women in the micro-entrepreneurship ecosystem in Brazil, what, according to her, should be accompanied by greater appreciation. These findings reinforce the need for more targeted public policies and support initiatives, that not only recognize the contribution of these women to the economy, but also work to reduce the barriers they face, highlights
The survey "The Corre of MEI in 2024" had a sample of 5.640 respondents, reaching a confidence level of 99% and a margin of error of 2%
