Women business owners play an important part in the economy, yet challenges remain and new policies are necessary to maintain the growing strength of female entrepreneurship, according to the National Women’s Business Council’s annual report.

The NWBC, a nonpartisan federal advisory council, makes its latest recommendations to the White House, the Congress and the U.S. Small Business Administration in “Building Bridges: Leveraging Research and Relationships to Impact the Business Climate for Women.”

The NWBC report shows that more than one in four American businesses is owned or led by a woman.

Yet companies with females at the helm are working with considerably less outside capital than those with men in charge. According to the report, male owners of the most successful firms start their businesses with six times more capital than do their female counterparts, who are more likely to experience rapid growth but tend to have fewer employees than their male counterparts.

Although women entrepreneurs have significantly increased their economic impact in the past few decades, more work needs to be done, said NWBC Chair Carla Harris in a release.

“Our hope is to sustain this momentum and build bridges between influencers, institutions and entrepreneurs, so that we can positively impact the business climate for women,” Harris said. “The work of the Council is grounded in the belief that women have innovative ideas, that women are strong leaders and that women are launching businesses that create value and solve problems.”

Recommendations in the National Women’s Business Council report include:

• Providing tax credits to investors in firms owned or led by women

• Encouraging women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields

• Facilitating reasonably priced child care, in light of research showing that self-employed women at home with dependent children are less apt to grow their businesses

• Creating avenues for women business owners to more effectively work with government and corporate procurement officials

• Putting into practice the sole-source authority for the Woman-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program

“Through our research and collaboration, we have identified strategic intervention points where policy makers can fundamentally change the game for women entrepreneurs,” said Amanda Brown, executive director of the National Women’s Business Council. “Women are the fastest-growing segment of the entrepreneurship economy, and it’s crucial they get access to the capital and markets they need for growth and sustained success.”