A new study by Facebook revealed "As four out of five women in India wish to become entrepreneurs, the country is missing out on a potential 15.5 million new businesses and 64 million additional jobs by not addressing the challenges facing such women."
Study showed that if only 52 percent of women can be empowered to start the business today, not only this will help in boosting the economic growth but will also help in building 15.5 million new businesses, which will create additional 64 million jobs.
"If we were to harness the largely untapped potential of women's entrepreneurship and provide them greater support, it could lead to more jobs being created, economic growth and more diverse and representative small business communities," Ankhi Das, Director of Public Policy, Facebook India, South and Central Asia, told reporters here.
"We are very optimistic about partnering with platforms like Facebook to empower women. We are trying to forge deep partnerships with platforms like Google, Cisco and Intel for the betterment of woman's livelihood through technology," added Aruna Sundarajan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in her keynote address.
Ahead of the International Women's Day which is coming on March 8, Facebook also launched "SheLeadsTech", a program which will give startups founded and cofounded by women access to year-long program which will not only provide tools but also mentorship and resources which will help in overcoming the barriers which they face in business.
"Through Facebook #SheMeansBusiness and our new #SheLeadsTech program we hope that by the end of 2017, we'll have inspired more women across the country to take the leap -- and help close the gap on that untapped opportunity for millions more women and in turn ensure our economy remains strong and thrives," Das added.
Tags: Facebook Women Empowerment
Women Startup
Women Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
