Tech firms are failing women entrepreneurs. Here's how to make them feel safer online

Reuters

15-04-2025

April 15 - The digital economy holds immense promise for women entrepreneurs in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). With access to digital tools, they can market their products, expand their customer base and manage their finances more efficiently than ever before. However, this promise is undermined by a persistent reality: women entrepreneurs are not safe online.
The tech industry has a pivotal role to play in addressing this issue, both as a matter of corporate responsibility and as a business opportunity.
A new report by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, published with Intuit and the World Bank's Women, Business and the Law project, reveals that 57% of women entrepreneurs in LMICs have experienced online harassment on social media platforms, while 21% fear harassment from male customers. Many women restrict their online visibility due to concerns about safety, which directly impedes their ability to market and grow their businesses.
In fact, 41% intentionally limit their online presence, such as by choosing to restrict their marketing to women-only online spaces in order to avoid potentially harmful interactions with men. The message is clear: digital platforms are failing women, and the tech industry must step up to create safer and more equitable online spaces.
This is not just a moral imperative: it is an economic one. Women entrepreneurs are a vital but underserved market for digital business tools, financial services and e-commerce platforms. The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women recently valued the market for digital business tools for women entrepreneurs in LMICs at $30 billion. What's more, women who have access to digital finance and e-commerce are more likely to grow their businesses, reinvest in their communities and contribute to national economies.
Yet, online gender-based violence and safety concerns are pushing many women out of the digital economy. Indeed, 62% of women entrepreneurs who cite safety concerns as a barrier to internet access have personally experienced online harassment. If tech companies do not prioritise online safety, they risk alienating a significant user base and losing out on a rapidly expanding market of women-led businesses.
Tech companies can and must implement stronger safety and support measures on their platforms. Efforts must be coordinated and intentional, with key approaches including:
Stronger content moderation Tech companies must invest in AI-driven moderation tools that detect and prevent abuse before it escalates. Additionally, platforms should implement human oversight mechanisms to ensure nuanced, context-sensitive responses to online violence.
Clear and accessible reporting mechanisms Many women don't report online abuse because they don't believe platforms will take action. Tech companies must make reporting mechanisms more accessible and transparent, with clear consequences for perpetrators.
Features to protect women's identities Women should not have to choose between online visibility and personal safety. Platforms should offer features that allow women to engage in business without exposing personal information, such as anonymous buyer-seller interactions, concealed contact details and stronger privacy settings for business accounts.
Verification systems Much like Uber and Airbnb use rating systems for users, e-commerce and social media platforms should implement buyer-seller verification systems to enhance trust and security in digital transactions. Verified business accounts, transaction reviews and transparent ratings can help create a safer business environment for women.
Lower barriers to e-commerce Women entrepreneurs face additional hurdles in e-commerce, from high transaction fees to complex registration processes. By reducing onboarding barriers and offering tailored support, tech companies can increase women's participation in online marketplaces,
Governments, too, have a role to play in adopting and enforcing stronger regulations to ensure platforms protect women entrepreneurs, and laws that clearly define digital crimes, with penalties that sufficiently deter offenders.
Similarly, multilateral organisations such as the African Union and ASEAN can strengthen digital protections by establishing consistent regulatory standards that individual governments may struggle to enforce independently, and exerting pressure on tech companies.
Tech companies must stop treating online safety as an afterthought and recognise it as a fundamental requirement for economic inclusion. Women who feel safe online are more likely to embrace online tools such as social media, AI, e-commerce and digital payments, and ultimately expand their businesses.
If digital platforms fail to create safe spaces for women entrepreneurs, they risk losing a significant share of the digital economy's future growth.
A more inclusive digital ecosystem benefits everyone, tech companies, women business owners, and the global economy at large. Technology opens doors. Tech companies must now enable women to walk through them.