TSE K 645

TSE K 645 is a criteria standard that brings together common concepts used in women’s entrepreneurship and addresses the general criteria for determining whether a business should be regarded as women-owned, women-led, or women-managed. In this kind of document, the main purpose is to keep terminology consistent and to separate ownership, management, and control as distinct ideas.

How the core entrepreneurship terms differ

In the general technical context of women’s entrepreneurship, expressions such as women-owned, women-led, and women-managed are related but not identical. Ownership refers to equity or ownership rights; management refers to day-to-day administration and decision-making; control refers to the ability to direct the business strategically and exercise decisive influence. The standard provides common definitions and an evaluation framework so that different organisations can classify the same business in a consistent way.

Identifying the link between a business and women entrepreneurs

The scope of this standard covers issues used to identify whether ownership, management, and control of the business rest with women entrepreneurs. In practice, criteria of this kind are relevant for statistical classification, organisational recognition, support schemes, and comparability of data. The focus is not simply on job titles, but on understanding the actual structure of the business through a shared terminology framework.

This record refers to a withdrawn standard, but the subject remains important as a reference point for women’s entrepreneurship, business classification, and institutional terminology. More broadly, such criteria help make women’s economic participation more visible and improve consistency across different datasets and organisations.