53% entrepreneurs in Indian direct selling industry are women: Report

The Indian direct selling industry has been growing at an exponential pace over the last few years to become a part of the 'billion-dollar club' of the multi-billion-dollar global direct selling indus

Premium

Female entrepreneurship is on the rise because gender equality efforts in the workplace to address issues like the salary gap and advancement to positions on corporate boards have stalled PHOTO: iSTOCK

Dilip Kumar Jha Mumbai

Last Updated : Aug 19 2018 | 5:40 PM IST

Women contribute 53 per cent of entrepreneurs engaged in the $1.5 billion (Rs 98.5 billion) direct selling industry in India, a report by the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) said.

The Indian direct selling industry provided entrepreneurship opportunities to 5.1 million people in 2017 of which 2.7 million were women. This reflects a healthy trend of growth in contribution to the sector by women entrepreneurs at a time when India is witnessing a rise in unemployment rates, the report said.

The report further says that despite India and China having a similar number of direct selling entrepreneurs, China is far ahead in terms of sales generated. Around 5.1 million entrepreneurs in India were involved in direct selling in 2017