CSW67 pushes for increased women's participation in digital economy
Concerted efforts should be taken to increase the number of female entrepreneurs particularly in high income-generating industries like e-commerce.
What you need to know:
- Women are still disproportionately underrepresented in the digital economy when compared to males, particularly in developing countries.
- Should this imbalance continue, Gender Principal Secretary Veronica Nduva cautioned that Kenya will have a hard time reaching its true economic potential.
Concerted efforts should be taken to increase the number of female entrepreneurs particularly in high growth, high income-generating industries like e-commerce and the digital economy.
This was the rallying call at the 67th Session of the Common Status of women on accelerating women entrepreneurship through digital economy in New York, USA where it was noted that women are still disproportionately underrepresented in the digital economy when compared to males, particularly in developing countries.
Should this imbalance continue, Gender Principal Secretary Veronica Nduva, presiding over an event organised by the Women Entrepreneurship Fund in the USA, cautioned that Kenya will have a hard time reaching its true economic potential resulting from missed economic opportunities that would have been filled up by more women engaging in the digital sector.
Nonetheless, Ms Nduva said the government has made several policy and legal framework interventions to address some of the challenges facing women in business and entrepreneurship.
Famed for its entrepreneurial culture, Kenya has about 1.54 million registered enterprises out of 36 percent are owned by women and this number should be increased even as an enabling environment is created to encourage more women to venture in digital entrepreneurship.
“The low percentage of women-owned enterprises needs to be considered as we look at the future of women entrepreneurship. Sustained efforts should be made to increase women’s enterprises as this would enhance both gender equity and small and middle scale enterprise’s ability to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals,” Ms Nduva said.
However, more assistance will be needed to improve women's skills, increase the availability of funding, and boost the penetration of women-led enterprises into higher value industries to sustain and accelerate women's success in e-commerce and the digital economy.
Digitalisation of businesses offers plenty of opportunities for micro, small, and medium-sized organisations to broaden their international reach, even if many digital businesses stay small and local.
“I encourage women to forge their own paths by deciding on a career path they are passionate about or by creating a business model with better concern for sustainability, equality, and caring, which female leaders are generally more sensitive and intuitive about. Our success will serve as proof that women are essential to the digital economy,” PS Nduva concluded.
