Encouraging globally-engaged women entrepreneurs: How digitally-enabled networks, tools and trade policies can be gender transformative

30 Sep 2021 12:30h

The first part of the session was dedicated to showcasing some successful businesses led by women entrepreneurs. Female entrepreneurs face some specific challenges in conducting businesses, especially when they entail exports. These obstacles range from not being taken seriously by male counterparts, to difficulties in accessing capital and financing.

Female entrepreneurs also suffer from a lack of access to relevant information. The many personal obligations they have in addition to running a business reduce opportunities for networking, finding support, and accessing new clients. Lack of access to informal networks and peers deprive women of critical information and market intelligence that would help them create well-planned and validated business strategies to access foreign markets.

Although e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Shopify have brought many benefits, such as democratising access to markets and bypassing intermediaries, exporting leads to costs that are still too high for small companies. The cost of logistics decreases proportionally with the amount exported. For companies with small-scale production, exporting is still a challenge. According to Ms Josefina Urzaiz (CEO, Cielo Hammocks), it would be important to put in place policies to support the exports of small businesses and reduce export-related costs. Differential treatment and recognition of the social importance of fair trade and businesses that empower marginalised groups should also be provided, according to Ms Sasibai Kimis (Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Earth Heir).

Some digital platforms have been pointed out as particularly helpful to small businesses, such as Shopify and Amazon. Social media is mentioned as key for product advertisement, and WhatsApp, in particular, is the main channel of communication, especially with small providers and artisans located in rural areas. Bank charges for international payments are high, so companies like PayPal and TransferWise facilitate payments. Ms Melissa Graham (Director, Vital Voices Global Partnership) reminded that the use of digital tools varies significantly depending on the geographical location and business sector. There is no single success model on how to engage with digital opportunities and tools.

There are several ways in which governments and trade norms can facilitate the inclusion of women in international trade. In order to craft the right policies, collecting more and better data about women in trade is very important, as emphasised by Mr Stephen de Boer (Head of Mission and Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Canada to the WTO). It is not enough for policies to be gender neutral, because they may disregard the specific difficulties of women and worsen the gender gap. Policies should also take into account the needs of other underrepresented groups, such as indigenous minorities, the LGBTQI community, and youth. According to de Boer, diplomats should apply gender lenses to trade negotiations and mainstream gender-inclusive provisions. Graham added that governments should ensure that information on how to trade is clear, accessible in different languages, accurate, and updated. They should improve the way they communicate their trade policies.