Empowering Digital Women: Overcoming Challenges in Bangladesh’s E-Commerce Landscape

Abstract

This study examines the types of support that women entrepreneurs require to overcome business challenges, particularly in Facebook commerce (e-commerce), focusing on respondents from Rangpur and Dinajpur districts in Bangladesh. Using both open- and closed-ended questions, data were collected from 300 women entrepreneurs. The findings highlight nine key supports identified by respondents: stopping online harassment (87%), government-arranged training (85%), family support (81%), recognition of hard work (78%), support from NGOs and private sectors (70%), improved network speed (67%), removal of patriarchal attitudes (60%), simplified trading license procedures (52%), and government-provided loans (47%).
Reliability testing, using Cronbach’s Alpha (α = 0.739), confirmed adequate internal consistency across the nine-item scale. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were conducted, yielding a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of 0.650 and a significant Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (p < .001), verifying the dataset’s suitability for factor analysis. PCA identified three principal components, cumulatively explaining 68.7% of the variance. These results suggest that the support needed by women entrepreneurs clusters around structural, institutional, and socio-cultural factors.
Despite strengths such as a large sample size and inclusion of diverse socio-demographic groups, the study faced limitations in terms of time, funding, and geographic coverage. Some women entrepreneurs could not be reached due to logistical and relational constraints.
The study recommends actions such as government and private sector training initiatives, stricter regulation against online harassment, simplification of licensing procedures, and greater family and societal support. Facebook and other digital platforms are also encouraged to take proactive steps to curb online abuse. Empowering women in e-commerce requires collaborative efforts across individual, community, and policy levels to address systemic barriers and promote digital entrepreneurship.