In a March 2026 ADB blog post, Markets Aren’t Neutral—Why Competition Policy Needs to Pay Attention to Women, experts argue that markets and competition policies are not "gender-neutral" and that ignoring these disparities hampers inclusive economic growth.
Traditional competition law focuses on consumer welfare and price efficiency, assuming all market participants have equal access. However, the blog highlights that women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) often face structural barriers, such as limited access to finance and unpaid care burdens, that prevent them from competing on a level playing field. The authors propose the adoption of a Gender-Lens Competition Policy to identify and dismantle market failures that disproportionately impact women, ensuring that regulatory interventions do not inadvertently favour established, male-dominated incumbent firms.
Strategic Insights into Market Gender Bias
Access to Information and Networks: Women entrepreneurs frequently lack the high-level business networks and market intelligence required to challenge dominant players or navigate complex regulatory environments.
The Digital Divide: As markets increasingly move toward digital platforms, women-led businesses in developing Asia face higher hurdles in accessing the e-commerce infrastructure and data analytics tools necessary to scale.
Implicit Bias in Regulation: Competition assessments that focus solely on "price effects" may overlook how anticompetitive behavior, such as predatory pricing or exclusive dealing, specifically targets sectors where women-owned businesses are concentrated.
Public Procurement Hurdles: Competitive bidding processes often include stringent turnover or experience requirements that systematically exclude smaller, women-led firms from lucrative government contracts.
What is "Gender-Lens Competition Policy"? Gender-lens competition policy is an approach to market regulation that explicitly considers the different impacts of competition laws and enforcement on women versus men. It acts as a catalyst for inclusive growth by shifting the focus from "pure efficiency" to "equitable participation," ensuring that market rules do not favour established, male-dominated power structures. This mechanism manifests as a transition from "gender-blind enforcement" to "gender-aware intervention," where authorities might prioritize investigating cartels in sectors with high female employment or simplify compliance for women-led startups. Adopting this lens is a primary lever for the CCI to benchmark a trajectory of truly competitive and democratic markets in India.
Policy Relevance: Aligning Competition with Social Equity
Economic Regulation with National Gender Goals: Adopting gender-aware competition frameworks establishes a formal baseline for the government to meet its commitment to women-led development (Nari Shakti).
Market Entry Barriers for Women-Led MSMEs: By scrutinising how dominant platforms treat smaller vendors, competition authorities provide the necessary technical infrastructure to protect women entrepreneurs from exploitative digital gatekeepers.
Benchmarking Inclusive Procurement Practices: Reforming competitive bidding rules to allow for "gender-diversity points" functions as a strategy to increase women's share in the trillions of rupees spent on public works.
Data-Driven Regulatory Design: Encouraging the collection of gender-disaggregated market data provides a strategic safeguard, allowing regulators to identify which industries are "closed" to women and why.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What specific protocols can be institutionalised to ensure that women-led startups have a seat at the table during the drafting of new antitrust regulations for the digital economy?
Follow The Full News Here: ADB Blog: Markets Aren’t Neutral - Why Competition Policy Needs to Pay Attention to Women