Man’s world

SIR – I am a female entrepreneur and concur that women face difficulties accessing funding for their businesses (“It’s time that women in business got the financial support they need”, Letters, March 8).

Securing funding and investment for my burgeoning business is an ongoing challenge. While I am an advocate for meritocracy, and not in favour of positive discrimination, I do believe women are dismissed by the male-dominated world of finance.

Having a gender-neutral name has meant that people are often surprised, when they meet me, to find that I am not a man. They visibly take a moment to adjust. Why? Sandy Ruddock

Soham, Suffolk