Abstract
The exclusion of women from the labour market continues to be a major cause of poverty within the base of pyramid (BOP) labour market. Through the adoption of a producer-oriented perspective and including women from the BOP labour market at relevant stages of the supply chains; direct selling may be an avenue to increase the inclusion of women within the BOP labour market and to alleviate poverty. Specifically, with its low investment requirements and low entry barriers, direct selling offers a low-risk opportunity for unemployed or under-employed individuals to become micro-entrepreneurs. This is as direct sellers have the autonomy to establish their own sales channels and marketing strategies, and sales can occur at any non-store location including home and online sales channels
However, while prior research have provided some support to these relationships, the complexities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique context to test this proposition. Interestingly, despite some supply chain challenges, COVID-19 has created opportunities for women in the BOP market to grow their direct selling businesses through online channels.
Drawing on the social constructivist approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with women engaged in direct selling in the BOP market in Iran, giving participants the ability to voice their experiences, concerns, and needs. Following on best practices, we adopted purposeful sampling to identify our research participants. We then explored how the challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the inclusion of the female labour force within the direct selling business at the BOP labour market, as well as the theoretical and practical contributions of our study.
However, while prior research have provided some support to these relationships, the complexities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique context to test this proposition. Interestingly, despite some supply chain challenges, COVID-19 has created opportunities for women in the BOP market to grow their direct selling businesses through online channels.
Drawing on the social constructivist approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with women engaged in direct selling in the BOP market in Iran, giving participants the ability to voice their experiences, concerns, and needs. Following on best practices, we adopted purposeful sampling to identify our research participants. We then explored how the challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the inclusion of the female labour force within the direct selling business at the BOP labour market, as well as the theoretical and practical contributions of our study.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 11 Feb 2022 |
| Event | Paper presented at Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australian and New Zealand (AIRAANZ) : Stream: Women’s Work in the 2020s: What’s the New Normal? - Sydney University, Sydney, Australia Duration: 9 Feb 2022 → 11 Feb 2022 https://www.airaanz.org/conference/airaanz-conference-2022 |
Conference
| Conference | Paper presented at Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australian and New Zealand (AIRAANZ) |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Sydney |
| Period | 9/02/22 → 11/02/22 |
| Internet address |