Promoting Women on International Women’s Day

According to the International Finance Corporation, although “the digital economy” is a very broad category, women could add over $300bn to ecommerce markets alone in Africa and South-East Asia between 2025 and 2030 through adopting some aspects of the digital economy, especially digital commerce. The IFC points out that there are 3 key advantages that ecommerce offers to women. First, lower barriers to entry than traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. This means that women entrepreneurs can start their businesses with lower start-up costs and without the need for a physical storefront, which can be a significant advantage. Secondly, it can enable women entrepreneurs to reach customers all over the world. And thirdly, it offers a degree of flexibility in terms of work hours and location. Despite these opportunities, women entrepreneurs are much less represented in the digital economy than men. This gap translates into missed economic opportunities and may aggravate existing gender inequalities.