AROUND 80% of women think gender-specific support is needed to encourage more females to start up their own businesses in Scotland, a conference has heard.

But one-fifth believe there is sufficient backing from existing networks and business groups to help women get new enterprises up and running.

The question of whether tailored support is required to cultivate more female entrepreneurs north of the Border was posed at the Women's Business & Enterprise Conference in Glasgow yesterday.

It sparked a range of views from the 200 delegates in attendance, who heard from a panel of leading female business figures including Nora Seniorwoman of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.

Panellist Tanya Brown, founder of the National Black Women's Network, said: "A one-hat-fits-all approach assumes that everything is perfect, that everything is fine and all equal and we don't need to reduce the gaps.

"But what we have to recognise and respect is that women start businesses at different levels and different points.

"When we look at the support offered to women we need to consider educational attainment, financial restrictions, occupational segregation [and] family commitments."

Natalie Crayton, founder of Hebridean Sea Salt, said she found that age had been a barrier more than gender in the build-up to launching her business last summer

She said: "I wasn't taken seriously, they just didn't believe in anything that I had done.

"I felt it was my age as well [as my gender]. I was in my late 20s, I was quite bubbly and very enthusiastic.

"It took a long time and perseverance from me to move forward, get funding and be taken seriously with my idea."

But Tanya Ewing, commercial manager of Bloom VC and inventor of Ewgeco, a device that allows home owners to view their energy usage in real time, was fulsome in her praise of existing enterprise networks.

She said: "At no point in my journey have I had any problems or issues getting any help or support I required.

"We have got a fantastic support network throughout Scotland to help any type of business get established."

The debate came after Angela Constance MSP, minister for youth employment, launched a Scottish Framework for Women's Enterprise.

The document seeks views on a range of proposals to boost women's participation in business, and notes that there is a clear economic case for fostering more female entrepreneurs.

While it estimates that women-led businesses currently contribute £5 billion to Scotland's economic output, it said that figure would increase by £7.6bn to nearly £13bn if there were as many businesses led by women as there are by men.

Jackie Brierton, managing director of Women's Enterprise Scotland, said: "Today is a good indication of the interest that is shown [in women in enterprise].

"We really only started marketing this conference in the latter part of March and we have got more than 200 people in the room who are all very engaged and very interested in the subject."