12-14% of UK businesses are majority owned by women, a statistic that shows both the great strides women have made in business in the past two decades but how many obstacles still remain in a culture where 90% of the top roles are held by men?

Women make up 51% of the UK population and 47% of those active in the labour market, but are the largest under represented group in terms of participation in enterprise and offer a wealth of untapped talent and economic opportunity. Despite some progress in recent years, the gap between male and female entrepreneurship in the UK remains stubbornly wide – men are still almost twice as likely to start businesses as women - the gap is wider still for young women.

Getting more girls and women into the technology, science and related technical sectors is today not only a gender equality issue but is also an economic necessity.

Pace of change, opportunity and working with cutting edge technology emerges as the top three most positive aspects for women working in IT.

In addition to providing an integral social business network, Girl Geeks aims to provide inspiration and support for the next generations.

Time for some role models!

Women mentor male bosses as Dell joins push to smash glass ceiling

The Observer, Sunday 11 October 2009

Senior male workers at the computer company Dell are being mentored by female colleagues in a pioneering move aimed at highlighting the problems women face in the workplace and helping them get into the top jobs.

Women in middle-management roles have been mentoring some of the company's most senior men to give them an insight into female perceptions of the world of work and the daily challenges women face, such as childcare arrangements.

"Women get to a certain point in their careers when they have to juggle both home and work life and there's a lot of extra pressure on them," said a spokesperson at Dell.

The mentoring scheme is part of a wider project by Dell designed to get more women into the top positions in the IT sector.