South-east Asian e-commerce has wide gender gaps

Significance

It is expected to triple again by 2025. The IFC believes about USD280bn could be added to the robust forecast for the value of the region’s digital economy in 2030 -- USD1tn -- if gender gaps in the use of the internet for commerce were closed.

Impacts

• The best candidates for training in fintech skills will be women working in existing supply chains.
• International organisations will pressure governments to collect disaggregated data on women’s participation and leadership in ICT sectors.
• ASEAN will come under increasing pressure to include gender-focused objectives in the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025.