Empowering Female Entrepreneurs Through Social Media: A Conceptual Model

Women account for just under 50 % of the world’s population (UN 2010) at approximately 3.55 billion women. Though women represent almost half of the world, they do not comprise half of the world’s workforce. Worldwide, the percentage of women in the labor force varies widely, from a low of 12 % in Qatar to a high of 53 % in Mozambique (UN 2011). Women also ‘bear a disproportionate burden of the world’s poverty,’ as they are more likely to be poor, suffer from hunger, deprived of healthcare, and denied basic rights in the workplace (UN Women 2013; OCED 2008). Not only are women more vulnerable, they are also less likely to have access to property and land (OECD 2008). Worldwide trends indicate that, in almost all cases, women are paid less than men, with the 2008 wage gap average holding at approximately 17 % (UN Women 2013). For example, the United Nations reports that, across 68 studied countries (with the exception of Qatar, the Isle of Man, and Paraguay), women in the manufacturing sector earn less than average when compared to men (UN 2011). Additionally, women are relatively overrepresented in lower-paying and more intensive jobs, such as domestic service, agricultural production and manufacturing of clothing and household goods, and are more likely to work part-time in comparison with men (OECD 2008). Further, wage gaps are most disparate for management positions (OECD 2008). Finally, women spend more hours working per day and carry the bulk of the workload in family life worldwide (UN 2010). Nonetheless, there are indications that greater access to economic opportunities, such as increasing workforce participation, can have a positive impact on poverty reduction in low-income economies. One way to improve access to economic opportunities for women is to increase their entrepreneurial activities. With an estimated 224 million women globally starting or running their own businesses (Kelley et al. 2012), there is tremendous opportunity to improve worldwide economic conditions through a better understanding of the tools that empower these women entrepreneurs. One of these tools is social media. This paper develops a conceptual model of the role social media can play in increasing empowerment of female entrepreneurs.