3 steps the female digital revolution can’t succeed without 

3 steps the female digital revolution can’t succeed without 

“¢ The pandemic is widening existing inequalities for women.

“¢ Female entrepreneurs need access to finance, digital tools and skills.

“¢ Putting women in leadership positions will help dismantle the socio-economic obstacles that hold them back.

On any given day, running a business as a woman is an uphill battle. From pay inequity to unpaid care and restricted access to funding and financial services, the barriers for women-owned micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have always been unacceptably high.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the price of ignoring such disparities - and forced business, government and non-profits to examine how the systems in our society perpetuate inequality. During 2020, millions of women left the workforce, businesses shuttered and savings dried up. And now as the pandemic accelerates the move toward a digital economy, women risk being left farther behind if we do not intervene with support and greater access to digital tools.



In low- and middle-income countries, there are up to 35 million formal MSMEs and 124 million informal MSMEs with at least one female owner. To ensure these women entrepreneurs can survive and thrive in the digital economy, they need access to three critical enablers: capital, digital tools and skills, and a