By Michele Nevard

Pop psychology is always trying to uncover the differences between men and women. Heaving bookshelves with paperbacks such as, 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus', all push the notion there's a huge gender gap that's hard to cross. Understanding how 'he' thinks takes up pages of magazines, newspapers, and buzzes across the telephone networks of frustrated female friends. But is it any different when it comes to business? Do men and women really operate differently? And is there a female psyche that sets successful women apart from their peers?

Reel back to 1861 and consider Mrs Beeton's comments in her book of Household Management. In her preface she says, 'Men are now so well served out of doors - at clubs, hotels and restaurants - that, to compete with the attractions of these places, a mistress must be thoroughly acquainted with the theory and practice of cookery, as well as other arts of making and keeping a comfortable home'.  Yes, that was the lot of Victorian women. But now the balance has shifted. We hear of the so-called 'career' woman who puts her work above everything. And many women are working mothers. Being successful in business is an aspiration now within the reach of both sexes. But how hard is it to climb the ladder, and in many cases juggle family and work life? Are there qualities specific to women who succeed?

Sue Stockdale is one who thinks that for women "confidence is a key factor in being successful." She runs Mission Possible, a website dedicated to providing information for women already in business or thinking about starting-up. She says, "I think men tend to have more confidence in a business perspective. It's the way we're brought up."

Sue wrote 'Secrets of Successful Women Entrepreneurs' in which she focuses on interviews with ten successful women across the UK. One idea she explores is the role of passion as a prime motivator. She says, "If you don't have the skills but have the passion that's important." In the book she cites Linda Bennett, the founder of LK Bennett shoes. Sue says, "Linda was so passionate about finding shoes she wanted to wear, she decided to make them herself. And that was her basis for starting up."

It was this same passion that propelled Sue to become the first woman to reach the magnetic North Pole as part of an expedition of novices led by explorer David Hempleman-Adams. She says, "The paperwork said, 'are you man enough for the ultimate challenge' and I thought I'm going to prove that statement wrong. The thing I reflect on is everybody on that team was really passionate about achieving that goal."

"For me it's more women who are successful and able to deal with it, that are successful. What type of woman is it that achieves it all but feels uncomfortable inside?"

Confidence and passion are both qualities men and women share in common, although their approaches may be different. But what about collaboration? Are women more collaborative?

Sue was one of ten people who took part in C4's Super Human programme in 2004. Five men and five women were set a series of tasks to explore their responses under pressure. Sue remembers, in particular, the sleep control experiment. The participants were kept awake for 36 hours and then set a number of tests to discover how they coped with lack of sleep. Divided into gender groups, Sue recalls, "The women structured their time with activities, and if anyone looked liked falling asleep they all looked after each other." In contrast the men didn't wake each other up. The result? The women did much better than the men in the tasks set. She says, "Yes, you can collaborate and do better at the same time."

Helen Rush agrees collaboration is a key component to success. She's an entrepreneur with two recruitment agencies in Cambridgeshire, a turnover heading up to £2 million, and all her staff are women. She says, "They're given the tools, we train them, give them responsibility and they run their own desk. It's giving people the confidence to go and do it. I want the girls to be successful." 

Helen set up her first company, CITR, dealing with IT recruitment nine years ago, and she acquired a general recruitment agency, Neaves & Neat four years ago. She now handles 60% of Visa Europe's recruitment and works with blue-chip clients such as Fortis Bank and Sun Microsystems. But Helen's quick to dispel the myth about the hugely competitive woman who will walk over anyone to get to the top. Her rise to the top was propelled by hard times, not cut-throat ambition. During the recession Helen had "a premature baby, lost the house," and her husband went into depression. She says, "I knew the only way out was for me to get us out." And she did. "My desire to succeed is immense. I have to succeed to be successful."

So confidence, passion and collaboration may be just three keys factors helping women succeed. But there are obstacles.

You need the confidence to succeed. But according to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor in 2003 a third of the female population would start a business if it wasn't for the fear of failure. And often it's a false dawn. How many women are in the boardroom or at the top of their business and feel they're a fraud, that they'll be found out? Susie Orbach says, "For me it's more women who are successful and able to deal with it, that are successful. What type of woman is it that achieves it all but feels uncomfortable inside?"

And what about the work/family equation?  An in-depth study last year by LSE's Dr Tim Leunig for Yellow Pages, showed that female entrepreneurs make a tangible impact on the economy. With a combined turnover of £4.4 billion they are exceeding some of the FTSE 100 companies. However, more than a quarter said they struggle to enjoy quality time with their partner. According to another survey in 2000, 80% of women are still responsible for looking after the children or arranging childcare facilities.

It's clear that whilst we're just 140 years on from Mrs Beeton's seminal guide to household management, many things haven't changed.  But women's attitudes have, and are, shifting. According to Prowess, the UK association of organisations and individuals who support women to start and grow businesses, they help over 100,000 women get a business off the ground each year. And this contributes £1.5 billion to the economy.

So, success can be cross-gender. And the driving force that propels women to success is multi-faceted and not easy to pin down. But if women tap into their psyche it could be a win-win situation all round. As Susie Orbach says, "There are a lot of women who on the face of it are extremely successful, who feel that and are that."