OREANDA-NEWS  The share of women among individual entrepreneurs (IE) and self-employed in Russia was 43%. Such data were provided by the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development following the results of a meeting with businesswomen on support measures held in the Federation Council on the eve of International Women's Day.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Economic Development Tatyana Ilyushnikova.

"Among sole proprietors and self-employed, the proportion of women is 43%. As for commercial companies, almost 40% of them are headed by women. Increasingly, enterprises run by women are reaching the level of international trade," Ilyushnikova said, quoted by the press service.

According to the Deputy Minister, the Russian Export Center has created a stable multi-level system of support for enterprises that supply their non-primary products abroad. More than 60 thousand such companies are subjects of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). For small and medium-sized businesses, on the basis of the My Business entrepreneurship support infrastructure, Export Support Centers (CES) operate in the regions, which help entrepreneurs to bring their products to foreign markets. "The contribution of the SME sector to the volume of non-primary exports in Russia is about 19%," she said.