Women-owned businesses in South Carolina are less likely to use computers and broadband technology, but they’re slightly more likely to use it to reach out to customers, according to a recent study by Connect South Carolina.
The study, titled “Making an Impact: Technology Use Among Women-Owned Businesses in South Carolina,” looked at how women-owned businesses use computer technology and also barriers to their use of broadband Internet.
Just 68 percent of women-owned businesses with fewer than 20 employees use broadband compared to 81 percent of other privately held businesses the same size. There is a digital literacy gap, driven primarily by business owners’ belief that they can do everything they need without broadband, according to the study.
“Our research, though, shows that every business can benefit from learning how to use broadband to find customers, learn how to be more efficient, or help attract and keep the best employees to make sure the business is able to grow and thrive,” said spokeswoman Jessica Ditto. The organization said the disparity in broadband use puts South Carolina’s women-owned businesses at a disadvantage.
On the other hand, those companies might be more social media-savvy.
“It is kind of surprising that women-owned businesses rank the importance of the ability to post information on a social network higher than other privately held businesses,” Ditto said.
Study authors could not say whether the types of businesses women owned affected their technology adoption, but national figures indicate that is not the case. A 2010 U.S. Department of Commerce study, “Women-Owned Business in the 20th Century,” showed that women-owned firms were underrepresented compared to men-owned firms across all industries but healthcare and education, where they significantly outnumber men-owned business. Those fields tend to be increasingly dependent on computer technology and broadband.
