Women Entrepreneur Empowerment Led by Digitization

Abstract

Women’s entrepreneurship development is an effective strategy for the country’s economic development. However, as it assists in increasing gross domestic production, creating employment opportunities, and narrowing the gender gap in the community, statistical data proves that Sri Lankan women entrepreneurs have not reached their full potential through their micro or small medium enterprises. Women still lag due to the lack of ICT literacy skills, which help in accelerating the growth of businesses. ICT is one of the ideal sources to overcome constraints that are unique to women entrepreneurs. This study aimed to assess the current environment for ICT for women entrepreneurship and explore the potential for leveraging ICT to support women’s entrepreneurship. This study employs key informant questionnaires, online surveys, and focus group discussions to collect primary data using the snowball sampling method. The study uses the thematic analysis to assess the extent to which the country’s environments are conducive to leveraging ICT for women entrepreneurship, identify gaps and challenges in the environment, and make evidence-based recommendations to address the gaps and challenges. The thematic analysis was conducted in the light of women’s entrepreneurship development policies, financial services, business development support, effective usage of information and communication technologies for women entrepreneurs, and the usage of ICT in women entrepreneurs’ participation in policy dialogue. The findings confirm that women entrepreneurs only use ICT for their businesses to a limited extent and encounter several challenges. such as, lack of an enabling environment, limited access to skills training, limited time, mobility restrictions, limited access to information, markets, and finance, attitudinal cultural barriers, and taboos. Most importantly, there is a significant gap between women entrepreneurs in urban and rural areas in terms of access, ownership, and usage of ICT. Moreover, the results reinforce the argument in favor of expeditiously implementing an effective multidimensional policy response on capacity development programs, improving infrastructure, and maximizing ICT specifically for business development systems in conjunction with access to finance initiatives for women entrepreneurs. The article emphasizes the potential of women entrepreneurs as an eye opener for the whole economy to tap an untapped potential for growth.