Giving Compass' Take:

• Saipriya Salla explains how women entrepreneurs in India will be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. 

• What role can funders play in supporting women entrepreneurs in India and elsewhere in COVID-19? 

• Learn why women in India won't reach gender parity in the workforce. 

Two years ago, Aarti started a small business selling traditional handicrafts online, supporting artisans based in rural Karnataka. After an initial phase of struggle, she had a steady stream of orders and was looking to procure manufacturing equipment and scale the impact of her business by supporting more local talent.

All this came to a grinding halt in March 2020. The pandemic, and subsequent lockdown, meant severe restrictions on travel and business. Aarti’s new equipment couldn’t be delivered and she had no way to move her existing inventory. She was slowly burning through her savings and was unsure about how she would continue to provide basic income to her staff and artisans. Moreover, her in-laws had moved in with her family, which meant she now had extra caregiving responsibilities.

Unfortunately, Aarti’s story is not unique. 2020 marks 25 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, once declared the most progressive blueprint for advancing women’s rights. Despite the years that have passed since, this story continues to be the reality for many working women, especially women entrepreneurs, who have had to deal with significant lifestyle changes in the wake of the pandemic, both personally and professionally.

We are no strangers to the fact that women are disproportionately impacted during crises. Women make up a larger percentage of health and social care workers—professions whose representatives are increasingly on the frontline fighting this pandemic. Historically, it has been documented that economic crises widen existing inequalities for women across key facets like access to healthcare, education, and finances. Nearly 40 percent of women in wage employment are estimated to lack access to social protection mechanisms. In the social sector, there have been several articles and online webinars in the past two months that have brought to light how the pandemic and lockdown has exacerbated gender inequities across the board.

Does this impact extend to women entrepreneurs? Initial evidence indicates that it does so, disproportionately.

Read the full article about women entrepreneurs in India by Saipriya Salla at India Development Review.