The days of rigid separation between men’s work and women’s work are long gone, and many of the best side hustles for women are also perfectly good for men. We are still different, though, and these are some of the best side hustles for women who want to add a little income and even explore a new occupation!
Take a look at some of the best side hustles for women and find your perfect match!
Understanding Side Hustles
Start by setting your priorities. Are you more interested in boosting your budget or simply doing something productive with your time? Would you prefer to work from home or from a different location?
Then, write down a list of activities you enjoy doing (and are good at) – e.g., spending time in nature, playing with pets, or even coding. It’s always easiest to make money when you match your skills and interests with your work.
10 Online Side Hustles
Most online side hustles for women don’t require any particular prior experience or expertise. There are countless remote jobs you could pursue as a complete novice as long as you have a computer, good WiFi, and some dedication.
1. Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant does everything that a traditional assistant does: scheduling appointments, booking hotels, handling administrative tasks, and much more. The only difference is that the virtual assistant works remotely.
💸 Earning potential: You can find flexible virtual assistant work on freelancing platforms such as Freelancer or Upwork. If you build up your online profile and prove you’re reliable, you can expect to earn about $24.55 per hour on average[1].
💻 Learn more: Kickstart your career from home with our list of 15 remote jobs you can start without experience.
2. Freelance Writer
If you have good spelling and grammar and a knack for writing, you might just find the position as a freelance writer the perfect side hustle for your needs. You can choose the specific type of writer you want to be: a copywriter, a web content writer, a technical writer, and more. You can even choose the specific topics you want to work with.
💸 Earning potential: The work hours are flexible, so you can set your own schedule as long as you meet your deadlines. As a freelance writer, you can expect an average salary of $22.77 per hour[2].
👉 Learn more: Explore our list of side hustles for introverts, offering low-stress income opportunities that suit your personality.
3. Transcriptionist
You could try being a transcriptionist if you don’t feel creative enough to be a freelance writer. The job simply involves listening to the audio/videos your clients send you and transcribing everything you hear. You’ll need good grammar and spelling, and you might need to invest in a pair of high-quality headphones, but that’s about it.
💸 Earning potential: On average, a transcriptionist in the US can earn about $19.45 an hour[3].
4. Online Tutor
You’ll have countless options here, from teaching English to native and non-native speakers to tutoring schoolchildren and adults alike in any subject you’re good at – math, computer coding, accounting, music, and many more.
You could find good gigs on freelancing platforms, or you could even look up online schools that are asking for tutors. Depending on the school, you might need some credentials, or you might just need to pass some basic tests that show your competence.
💸 Earning potential: The pay may vary greatly, but you should expect to earn about $18 an hour[4].
5. Online Course Seller
With tutoring, you’ll typically have live one-on-one or group classes, and your salary will be determined by the online school you work for. If you want more freedom, you could try selling online courses.
Depending on your preferences, you can pre-record the entire course or offer live classes. You can set your own rates and determine your own hours. However, you’ll also need to find your own students.
💸 Earning potential: On average, course creators can earn about $42 an hour, though that heavily depends on the popularity of the course[5].
6. Blogger
Blogging isn’t for everyone, especially not for those looking to earn a quick buck. However, if you’re ready to invest time and effort without any guarantees, you could try it.
Select a topic you’re interested in, passionate about, or knowledgeable in, and you can start a blog. To monetize it through affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and the like, you’ll need to gather quite a large audience, which takes time and work.
💸 Earning potential: On average, bloggers in the US earn about $19.34 an hour, but some earn just a couple of hundred every few months[6]. A select few make it big and earn thousands a week.
7. Etsy/eBay Seller
Perhaps the simplest side hustle for women is starting up an Etsy or eBay shop. As long as your items aren’t explicitly forbidden on the platform, you can sell them. Whether you have too many clothes (in good condition) that you no longer wear, or you enjoy crafting handmade items or even propagating plants, you can sell them all online without much fuss.
💸 Earning potential: On average, a successful Etsy seller can make about $43,000 a year[7].
👗 Learn more: Discover how to successfully start reselling on Poshmark and potentially earn a significant income, as revealed in our latest post.
8. Survey Taker
If you don’t want to invest too much time or energy into your side hustle, you can always start taking surveys online – you can even earn money this way with your phone, no additional equipment required.
All you have to do is join a platform like Swagbucks, MySurvey, Survey Junkie, OneOpinion, and the like, fill in as many surveys as you can, and start making money.
💸 Earning potential: The pay isn’t always all that great, but if you target your efforts carefully you could amass around $25 an hour[8].
9. Digital Product Seller
Just like you can sell physical items on sites like eBay or Etsy, you can sell digital goods on various platforms. You can sell music on platforms like Fiverr, eBooks on sites like Amazon, and photos on sites like Shutterstock.
💸 Earning potential: Your options are virtually endless, and, technically, so are your earnings. There are no averages you can expect. It all depends on how popular your digital goods are and how effectively you market them.
10. Social Media Creator
Becoming a social media influencer isn’t as easy as it seems, but it could be well worth the effort. Find a niche you’re interested in, and start creating and publishing content.
💸 Earning potential: As with blogging, it could take a while before you become profitable, however. By some estimates, you’d be looking at average earnings of around $27 an hour, though you could easily earn much less or much, much more[9].
Local/Offline Side Hustles for Women
If online side hustles for women aren’t your cup of tea, perhaps you should look into your local/offline options. You might find more traditional side hustles more to your liking.
11. Pet/House/Babysitter
Pet, house, or babysitting is often considered one of the best options for side hustles for women. Many people find women to be more trustworthy for these types of jobs, which makes work easier to get.
It’s best to start offering these services to neighbors or close friends and family. You could also market them on social networks or neighborhood groups.
💸 Earning potential: Your average earnings can vary between around $13 an hour as a house sitter[10] and up to $21.09 as a babysitter[11].
🐕 Learn more: Uncover the steps to making a steady income by dog sitting with Rover, as detailed in our informative guide.
12. Senior Caretaker
If you have the skills, will, and resilience, you might find senior caretaking to be both fulfilling and lucrative. Depending on the clients you find, you might be responsible for grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning, or you might have to take on medication management, doctor’s appointment scheduling, etc.
💸 Earning potential: Depending on the specific job description, you could be looking at around $15.69 an hour[12].
13. Baker
Creating a small, home-based bakery isn’t all that difficult, especially when starting out as a baker. You need just some basic kitchen equipment and some good baking skills.
You can offer to sell baked goods for children’s birthdays, parties, or even weddings, and similar events, depending on your capabilities. Moreover, you can take things a step further and create baking-oriented social media content to hit two birds with one stone.
💸 Earning potential: Your earnings will vary wildly based on your skills, clients, and, of course, your pricing. Look into what custom-made baked goods are going for in your area before setting your prices.
14. Makeup Artist
If you have a knack for makeup, why not try becoming a freelance makeup artist? It takes a bit of an investment as you’ll have to buy different makeup products that suit different skin types, purchase all the tools and brushes, and get all the proper cleaning items to keep everything sanitary.
💸 Earning potential: However, it could all be well worth it. You could be looking at earning around $25.60 an hour[13]!
15. Nail Artist
Becoming a nail artist might be a bit more challenging than becoming a makeup artist, but it could also be more fulfilling.
Depending on your location, you might have to complete a course or get a certificate before you can start working as a nail artist. Additionally, you’ll need to invest in all the equipment.
💸 Earning potential: But seeing as you could earn well over $21.26 an hour, any investments you make will quickly be reimbursed[14].
16. Photographer
If you have a keen eye and you can set aside some cash to invest in a good camera, photography could be a great side hustle for you. It takes skill and patience, but it could be pretty profitable as long as you’re dedicated to self-improvement.
💸 Earning potential: You could earn around $25 an hour as a freelance photographer and more if you also work on perfecting your photo editing skills[15].
17. Cleaner
If you’re detail-oriented and don’t mind completing common household chores, cleaning might be the side hustle for you. You’ll need equipment, and lots of it – everything from rubber gloves to cleaning supplies, rags, sponges, and cleaning brushes.
💸 Earning potential: You could earn around $15.27 an hour, and you can choose your own clients and work hours[16].
18. Jewelry Designer
Although you can always get into designing luxury jewelry if you have the skills (and the tools), this side gig doesn’t always require precious stones and metals. If you’re the creative type, you could look into designing jewelry made from clay, epoxy resin, plastic, and more.
Sell your creations at your local market or fair, or look into selling via your social media channels.
💸 Earning potential: Your earnings will vary based on your popularity and the quality of your goods.
19. Fitness Coach
Becoming a fitness coach can take some time, as you’ll first need to obtain certifications to operate legally. However, once you have the necessary certificates, you can start helping your clients achieve their fitness goals.
You can develop personalized training programs, work with clients one-on-one, hold group classes, and more.
💸 Earning potential: As a fitness coach, you could earn well over $28 an hour[17].
20. Flipped Goods Reseller
Finally, you might want to give it a go as a flipped goods reseller. It involves finding cheap used goods, fixing them up, and selling them for a profit.
Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds, and you’ll need to invest in some tools. However, from there, it’s all a matter of trial and error. Start small, with simple paint jobs, for instance, then work your way up.
💸 Earning potential: Depending on your work and what you’re flipping, you might make hundreds of dollars per project.
Balancing Side Hustles With Other Responsibilities
You must learn to balance everything to ensure your side hustles don’t take over your entire life.
As a general rule of thumb, your best strategy for success is treating your side hustle like you would any other job. As in, you’ll have pre-determined working hours, and you’ll do what you can to stick to them.
Creating and sticking to a schedule will allow you to fulfill all other responsibilities without issues and find enough time to unwind.
Conclusion
Finding the right side hustle for women could have a massive impact on your budget and even on your confidence levels. You’ll feel more fulfilled and spend your time more productively.
Just don’t forget to give yourself proper breaks when you need them and find some time for yourself as well!
