Women, social media commerce, and socio-economic development: evidence from a developing economy

Purpose This study investigates how women's participation in Facebook Commerce (F-commerce) contributes to socio-economic development in Bangladesh, highlighting the transformative role of digital platforms in women's empowerment. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from 350 women entrepreneurs were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The conceptual framework tested Access to Social Media (ASM), Entrepreneurial Skills (ES), Government Support (GS), and Market Accessibility (MA) as drivers of F-commerce engagement, which subsequently enhances socio-economic development (SEAM). Findings The findings show that all four predictors significantly enhance women's participation in F-commerce: ASM (ß = 0.115, p = 0.033) improves connectivity; ES (ß = 0.121, p = 0.024) strengthens business skills; GS (ß = 0.111, p = 0.039) provides institutional support; and MA (ß = 0.118, p = 0.028) expands customer reach. F-commerce strongly boosts SEAM (ß = 0.227, p < 0.001), reflected in income, independence, recognition, and decision-making. Mediation analysis confirms F-commerce as the key channel (indirect effects 0.023–0.026, p < 0.05), highlighting its role in overcoming barriers and fostering inclusive development. Practical implications The study suggests that targeted policies – such as digital literacy training, gender-responsive fintech solutions, and improved infrastructure – are essential to maximize the socio-economic benefits of women's digital entrepreneurship. Originality/value This research enriches and extends the discourse on women's entrepreneurship by empirically demonstrating and providing platform-specific empirical evidence on how F-commerce advances empowerment and inclusive growth in an emerging economy context, rather than proposing a new theoretical framework.