Six in Ten Female Entrepreneurs Believe Gender Doesn't Limit Their Digital Business Growth

• Amazon and the Alternativas Foundation carry out a new study which is presented in Madrid along with Ana Redondo, Minister for Equality. 

• Most women digital entrepreneurs would say that their opportunities aren't restricted by being women 

• The study researched opportunities for women within the digital business world 

According to the study carried out by Amazon, with the Alternativas Foundation, and presented in Madrid with Ana Redondo, Minister for Equality, most female digital entrepreneurs feel being a woman does not hinder their chances of starting up in the digital environment. 

"Female Digital Entrepreneurship: Motivations, Challenges, and Impact" examines current conditions of the female entrepreneurial ecosystem in Spain. The report cites flexibility, balance in personal and professional life, and creative freedom as the main motivations for women entrepreneurs entering digital activities. 

According to the study, 60 percent of the respondents do not perceive their being a woman as a hindrance to building their digital business. The research also found that 40 percent of respondents started their businesses with an initial investment of less than €1,000; hence, digital entrepreneurship is quite easy to access. "The online world allows you to do whatever you want because the entry barriers are low," comments Patricia Gutiérrez, a digital business mentor.  

In contrast, women over 50 said that upgrading digital skills and fine-tuning customer loyalty strategies were their biggest challenges, whereas women under 40 said that financing and networking were their main concerns. Due to this divergence in challenges, 71 percent of the interviewed entrepreneurs stated they need more income to keep their businesses running. 

Marga López began her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 19 with the establishment of aeioubaby.com, an educational toy company inspired by her own experience with children. "Digital commerce offered a huge opportunity for us," she says, adding that e-commerce and Amazon had enabled the business to grow into international markets. Today, aeioubaby.com sells products in 27 countries, including the US. 

Some initiatives and recommendations to strengthen the female entrepreneurial ecosystem suggested by the study include enhancing financial support and simplifying administrative procedures for female entrepreneurs. Advancement of training in digital skills, as well as job-related competencies, including stress management. Tackling existing gender bias in access to financing. Increasing collaboration between the public and private sectors. Creating more accessible digital technologies and channels. 

 "Digitization offers great opportunities for female entrepreneurship, but it is important to deal with existing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible environment," Beatriz Arias, principal researcher of the study, comments.