Regulatory Reforms to Increase Women Micro-Entrepreneurs Participation in E-Commerce
Authors
Siti Alifah Dina
Thomas Dewaranu
The Indonesian entrepreneurial landscape is dominated by micro-enterprises (MIEs), most of which operate informally with a high proportion of women as owners and/or workers. The majority of women micro-entrepreneurs are likely to be driven into entrepreneurship out of economic necessity. The digital economy can benefit Indonesian women’s micro-enterprises (MIEs) by reducing market entry barriers and streamlining the supply chain.
However, regulations, traditional norms, gender roles, limited access to assets and formal education all disproportionately affect women micro-entrepreneurs. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated these vulnerabilities by both reducing female entrepreneur income and forcing them to disproportionately take up extra hours of domestic and care work as a result of lockdown and physical distancing measures.
This paper discusses the challenges and shares policy recommendations to empower women in e-commerce to grow their businesses in this digital era.
