Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Opportunities and Challenges in Management, Economics and Accounting
Year: 2024
DOI:
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The Influence of Social Media and Digitalization on Self-Employed Women and Women’s Participation in Business
Sarah Wang
ABSTRACT:
The increase of women’s participation in the labor market is along with the rise of digitalization and social media. It is undeniable that digitalization provides new opportunities for women, especially in employment as influencers. On the other hand, the challenges of women and gender inequality in the business world still persist. There are still fewer women than men in higher-up positions (only 15% of CEOs in the fashion industries are women) and fewer women-owned businesses in all fields. Nonetheless, there is a rise of successful women entrepreneurs and brands through the power of social media. Among the top 40 most-followed Instagram influencers and their brands, some of the fashion brands are now with net-worth higher than some of the traditional fashion brands, setting examples for the potential of digitalization to enhance women’s role in the business world. The varieties of brands established by these influencers improve women’s participation in different business sectors. In addition, by making their targeted group younger generations like millennials and GenZ, these influencers help promote women’s leadership and empowerment for the young generation that could potentially change the future of the business world.
keywords: Women in Business, Digitalization, E-Commerce, Social Media