Internet removing gender bias in business: Alibaba.Com

Indian women entrepreneurs are successfully leveraging the power of internet to challenge the world of male-dominated business, a report said on Friday.

“E-commerce provides women in business a flexible, accessible and cost-effective channel to overcome traditional male-dominated boundaries and explore business prospects beyond conventional channels,” said a study by world's largest e-commerce portal Alibaba.Com.

Site analytics data from the China-based B2B portal suggest that the share of female entrepreneurs in India is showing a healthy growth of 71 per cent year-on-year basis. The 'Global Gender Gap Report 2011' compiled by the World Economic Forum had ranked India at the 131st position in the list for economic participation and opportunity of women among 135 countries.

“We are seeing this trend gradually changing. There are several instances of women entrepreneurs performing exceedingly well in India. The internet provides limitless opportunities to entrepreneurs to meet their aspirations,” Sandeep Deshpande, Country General Manger at Alibaba.Com India told PTI.

When asked as to what industry do women entrepreneurs prefer, he said that there is no clear trend. “They vary from machinery to jewellery, just like their male counterparts. What most entrepreneurs share with us, however, is that they do what they love,” Deshpande said. According to the study, women business owners in India usually face dual responsibilities of growing a business and managing a family leaving them with less time for business development.

Now with the growing use of e-commerce, women entrepreneurs can save time in every step of their business cycle, including identifying business opportunities, purchasing raw-materials and even finding sale leads online.

With access to information at the click of a mouse, building and sustaining business networks is made far easier, it said. Online B2B platforms offer aspiring women entrepreneurs virtual workplaces and digitally mobile lifestyles provide the needed flexibility to achieve that. “Most importantly it removes gender bias as the online medium gives us a layer of invisibility. With such platforms, we can break the socio-economic barriers prevalent in the society,” Shanaya Modi, director of Ahmedabad-based Mazda Labs.