E-commerce making rural women self-reliant, reports claim

As e-commerce continues to grow and flourish in Bangladesh, it has contributed significantly towards making many women in the rural areas of the country self-reliant by effectively linking women entrepreneurs and marketplace and offering them fair prices and various selling options.

Reports maintained this while adding that the coronavirus pandemic has in many ways made it easier for women entrepreneurs to sell their products as the numbers of consumers on e-commerce platforms have been increasing significantly lately due to the lockdowns and social distancing norms even as the Government’s flagship Digital Bangladesh campaign has opened the door of opportunity for the rural women entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, interacting with the media, the State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Fazilatun Nesa Indira maintained that with Government support and due to Digital Bangladesh, women are making a revolution in e-commerce and small business even as she went on to add that Bangladesh Government provides loans at discounted interest to women as well as allocated Taka 1 billion as ‘Women Entrepreneurship Fund’ for mitigating their access to finance and, even formed ‘Joyeeta Foundation’ for facilitating market access to 18,000 women entrepreneurs across Bangladesh.

Besides, experts have also maintained that internet has definitely become a powerful tool for women’s empowerment in developing countries like Bangladesh as it helps them overcome some intrinsic cultural barriers.