Announcements
March 8, 2023
Women leading on digital tools
By Nicola Mendelsohn, Head of Global Business Group
Art by Andrea Cáceres
Today is International Women’s Day and it’s a great time to take stock of the state of affairs for women—the gains we’ve made, the ground we’ve lost, and where we should be putting our energies to make the world better for women. Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to progress, but with more than 250 million women entrepreneurs across the globe and our commitment at Meta to being a place where businesses can thrive and grow, today we are taking a special look at the ways in which women entrepreneurs are being resourceful and using digital tools to run and build businesses.
And the good news is they are leaning in hard! Our data shows that when it comes to adopting digital tools, women are leading men along many points in the funnel - and benefiting from the results. For example, when it comes to advertising, 59% of operational women-led SMBs in the U.S. reported having used digital tools for advertising, compared to 48% of men-led SMBs.1 And that’s a big deal because advanced AI is enabling highly personalized ads at scale, which means that these businesses are more likely to reach customers who love them on the platforms where they are already spending time.
So, women are ahead of the curve and it’s easy to see why: digital tools save time. And couldn’t we all use a little more time back in our day? And whether it’s automating ad campaigns, helping generate eye-catching creative, or creating messaging channels to connect with customers, digital tools make it easier for women to work smarter; run businesses, and keep in touch with customers from anywhere.
This is important because women-owned businesses make up more than 20% of employer businesses and 40% of non-employer businesses in the United States and the health of those businesses matter for the families, the people they employ, and the communities they serve. As we push towards women’s equality we believe that businesses like Meta have the power to take steps to support and uplift the community.
It’s why we launched our #SheMeansBusiness program in 2016 which has trained more than 1.5 million women in 38 countries and counting on digital tools. And it’s why we continue to look for ways to invest in and equip women-owned businesses with the tools they need to succeed.
If I’ve learned anything over the course of my career, it’s how important it is to champion other women. Some of my biggest cheerleaders have been women, and I know how valuable it is to have even one dedicated woman in my camp. And I believe passionately that in order to climb high, we women need to give each other a leg up. At Meta, we are proud of our on-going efforts to support women - not just on International Women’s Day or during Women’s History Month, but each and every day. The work is far from done and we will continue to do our part to #EmbraceEquity with action, and support and elevate women.
*These are defined as businesses with one or more leaders who use Facebook. Metrics are based on responses to an uncompensated, opt-in survey in English of 43,219 people nationally on the Facebook app between January 6–21, 2023. All estimates are based on responses from self-identified business owners and managers within the US. Small businesses are defined as having 250 or fewer employees.
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