The COVID pandemic of 2020 (and, let’s face it, 2021 isn’t seeing the end yet) has challenged all of us in massive ways in virtually every area of our lives. Our country and our society have gone from thriving to surviving when it comes to the economy, to our education systems, to our food and household supplies, to our livelihoods and the way we conduct business. Of course that’s only a portion of the affected areas. We also have a multitude of personal struggles with the loss of friends and family, to the basic changes in our routines and patterns, which have caused us to feel even more burdened and overwhelmed.
There’s no question about it, we are struggling. The loss of employment and loss of hours has taken a huge toll, but also caused many of us to find different solutions than we’ve known before. Getting laid off during a pandemic is an entirely different situation. With many businesses suffering profit losses and making changes to pare down their operations, or even closing altogether, we’ve been forced to chisel out new pathways and new methods of making a living.
One of the demographics to get hit hardest by the pandemic and all it affected is women. For one thing, women are more likely to work in the industries which were hit the hardest by COVID fallout. Areas of business such as hospitality, in-store retail, and food services employ a large percentage of women in the US. Not only did many of these women get hit hard with job loss or work hours deductions, but they also have taken much of the extra responsibilities that have come from school closures, loss of childcare, and extra household difficulties brought in by COVID. They’re also often the ones caring for those in their families who may have contracted the virus.
Women have had a particularly difficult road in all the events of the past year and a half. Fortunately, one bright spot, and one of those newly paved solutions, is women who were able to start online retail businesses.
During the pandemic, many women have engaged for the first time, or have increased their presence, selling on eBay. Eighty-two percent of these women say they’ve done so due to hardships brought on by COVID.
Despite the job losses, loss of childcare, personal or family illness and more, eBay has empowered women to build their own businesses and provide for their families regardless of the obstacles. This is one reason why the number of US owned, eBay small businesses increased by 34% in the first six months of the pandemic.
Sixty-nine percent of women eBay sellers report that selling on eBay helped them during the pandemic by providing the flexibility to work from home, the ability to bring in an income, and the benefits of being their own boss. Selling on eBay is giving women the ability to become entrepreneurs and to keep succeeding and even thriving in the most difficult time our country has experienced.
See more on how eBay is empower women-lead businesses in the infographic below:
