15 Best Side Hustles For Women That Pay Well

There are many articles about side hustles out there, but what about options for us? Here, I’ll break down the most lucrative side hustles and online jobs for women. Plus, I’ll give you everything you need to know to start making money today!

The rising popularity of side hustles has opened up a new horizon of flexibility, freedom, and financial possibilities for women all over the world.

It’s more than just an opportunity to earn extra money around our hectic schedules filled with work, school, and family responsibilities.

Side hustles empower women to break free from traditional work settings and the constraints of a pay gap.

They allow us to be our own bosses, set our own schedules, and charge what we truly deserve for our work.

And that’s why you’re here. You want to see what is out there and what might be worth your time.

Below, I’ll guide you through the 15 best and most lucrative side hustles and online jobs tailored specifically for women.

Sorry guys, this list is not for you! So why don’t you crack open a beer and turn on the football game while us girls get started?

15+ Easy Side Hustles For Women To Make Extra Money

1. Blogging

Yes, I may be biased since, after all, you are reading my blog right now. Blogging is an incredibly fulfilling way to make money by sharing your passion with the world.

More than that, blogging can be an especially lucrative side hustle for women in particular.

A recent list of the 22 most successful blogs revealed that 14 of them were either run or co-run by women.

The best thing about blogging is that there are so many popular niches to get into right now. Beauty and fashion, travel, parenting, relationships, health and fitness, crafting, and beyond!

If you’re ready to start your own blog, check my comprehensive, step-by-step guide on How to Start a Successful Blog.

It includes things like choosing a niche, creating content, making money from affiliate marketing, and more!

2. Freelancing

The freelance industry has experienced an unprecedented rise, with women playing a significant role in this growth.

Statistics show that more than half of women in the US are now freelancing, higher than the proportion of men!

Really, though, this should probably not be a surprise. Freelancing offers the flexibility to earn money around family and school commitments, steering clear of potentially toxic and unequal traditional work environments.

The online opportunities for a freelance side hustle for women are pretty much endless.

From freelance writing to graphic design, transcription and other typing jobs, web design, photography, and many more.

For more options, you can check out my list of 17 Easy Remote Jobs You Can Start Today.

3. Virtual Assistant

Speaking of freelancing, in an increasingly remote world, virtual assistants are in exceptionally high demand.

VAs assist businesses and individuals with administrative tasks remotely, including booking appointments, writing emails, providing customer service, and more.

If it sounds like it might be for you, you’re going to love my friend Abbey.

Not too long ago, all she wanted was to escape a job she felt trapped in. She just wanted to have the freedom to spend more time with her kids.

Without a lot of extra cash or time to invest, the task felt daunting … until a friend recommended virtual assistance. Within one month, she was completely booked with clients, able to replace her old salary from the comfort of her home!

The best news is that Abbey has put together this amazing free training to help others get started and enjoy the same freedom.

4. Take Part In Research Studies

Taking part in research studies might be the best side hustle for women who don’t have a lot of time.

On sites like Swagbucks and Opinion Outpost you can make money by completing surveys whenever you have a spare moment. This could be while you are waiting in the pickup line at your child’s school, on your lunch break at work, or watching Netflix before bed.

Even better, on sites like User Interviews and Respondent, you can participate in focus groups. They are harder to get into than surveys but pay substantially more.

For example, I recently completed a one-month test run on User Interviews. I found focus groups for things like shopping habits, TV shows and movies, pet ownership, haircare routines, and more!

Oh, and by the way, I made an average of $99.16 PER HOUR!

Ready to get started? Check out my list of 15 Legit Online Surveys that Pay Cash and my breakdown of the Best Online Focus Groups.

5. Social Media Manager

Social media managers are in high demand, given the essential role of online presence for the success of businesses and influencers.

And get this: more than 60% of social media managers in the US are women.

As a social media manager, you will do everything to manage a brand’s social media accounts.

This means creating eye-catching content, coordinating ad campaigns, and engaging with followers and community members.

Social media management is the perfect side hustle for creative women who know how to generate engagement and go viral on different social media platforms.

6. Proofreader

It’s no secret that the production of written content is at an all-time high – Content is Queen, I like to say – and proofreaders, who make sure written work is perfect before it is published, are in high demand.

What this means is that proofreading has fast become one of the best ways for females to make money online.

Just look at my friend Caitlin. She began proofreading with a court reporting agency after college, until she realized she could make just as much, or more, with far more flexibility in her schedule by freelancing.

In no time, she was making a full-time income while working only 20-25 hours per week!

The best part? She was so successful that she decided to launch Proofread Anywhere to teach others how to start.

If you’d love to know more about proofreading as a side hustle, you’ve got to check out Caitlin’s amazing free workshop here!

7. Mystery Shopping

Modern businesses need data on customer preferences and brand performance. That’s why they pay mystery shoppers to shop and provide feedback on their experience.

Yes, it’s true, you really can get paid to shop!

But actually, it’s even better than that.

When you work as a mystery shopper, not only will you be paid for your time, but you’ll be reimbursed for whatever you buy, meaning you can get some pretty great perks while you’re at it.

It’s not unusual for mystery shopping gigs to include eating at a restaurant, getting treatment at a salon, catching a movie at the theater, or even visiting hotels or theme parks.

One of my friends even sets up mystery shopping gigs as a paid date night with her husband!

Want to know more? Check out my guide to the 15 Best Ways to Get Paid to Shop.

8. Online Tutoring or Teaching

Parents are always looking for extra help for their kids in subjects like math, science, writing, history, and languages. And more than ever, they are finding this help online. That’s why online tutoring and teaching are now some of the best side hustles for women with a passion for education.

So, where do you start?

If you have some formal teaching experience, check out BookNook. There, you can teach kids K-8 in academic subjects like math and reading. Just choose what you’d like to teach and when. Then, use their learning platform, which does all the prep and lesson planning for you!

If you don’t have any formal teaching experience or qualifications, you can still make good money online.

On Outschool, you can teach custom classes on just about anything you want – from academic subjects like math of English to cooking, singing, yoga, and more!

You might even go further and start selling your own online courses on a platform like Udemy.

9. Selling Handmade Products

If you love crafting or are excellent at making things by hand, selling handmade products is an excellent side hustle to turn your creativity into cash.

Right now, there are so many fun and popular options to choose from. Think homemade bath and beauty products, handmade jewelry and home décor, sewn items and artwork, and even custom wedding products!

Whatever you choose to create, you can sell it to a global audience through your own Etsy shop or your own online store.

Need ideas for what you could sell?

Take a look at my list of 25 Easy Things to Make and Sell Online. Or my breakdown of the 15 Best Things to Sell on Etsy.

10. Dog Walking or Pet Sitting

Long a great side hustle for women, the pet care industry is absolutely booming right now.

Don’t believe me? Just look at Bethany Lane.

She started dog walking years ago to pay off her student loans after college, and it went so well that it became her full-time job.

Recently, though, business has exploded beyond her wildest dreams, and suddenly, Bethany is making six figures per year!

The best part is that it is so easy to start a dog walking or pet sitting business right now using apps like Rover, “the world’s largest online marketplace for pet care.”

There, you can book dog walks, pet sitting, doggy daycare, and more for a wide variety of pets!

Start on Rover by clicking here, or take a look at my complete list of the Best Dog Walking Apps.

11. Flipping Clothes

Do you have an eye for fashion? Is your idea of a great afternoon spent searching for hidden gems at thrift stores or estate sales?

If the answer to either of these is yes, then flipping clothes might be an especially fun and rewarding side hustle for you.

All you have to do is find items at second-hand locations, then selling these clothes for a healthy profit to fashion lovers on platforms like Poshmark.

Olivia Hillier began selling clothes she found at thrift stores on Poshmark in an attempt to start paying off her student loans. Her first sale, a $5 T-shirt turned $20, hinted at what was to follow. In her first year, she earned $85,000!

Now, she consistently earns $6,000-$7,000 in profit each month.

This income not only helped clear her student loans but also enabled her to purchase a new five-bedroom house!

12. Caring for children or adults

Most caregivers in the US are women, and together, they provide more than $350 billion worth of unpaid work to the economy.

Women who serve as caregivers offer a socially invaluable and economically significant service to our communities.

The thing is, this no longer has to be exclusively unpaid work.

It is now so easy to get paid to provide care to others using platforms like Care.com.

There, you can find babysitting and nannying jobs for children, as well as gigs providing care for seniors, those with special needs, and more!

Today, providing care is not just something that women do but a side hustle for women that can be as lucrative as it is fulfilling.

13. Cook from home

If you’re a great cook, there are so many ways to monetize your skills right from your home kitchen.

Consider launching a meal delivery service to offer convenient and healthy premade options for busy families and individuals in your community.

You could become a personal chef, creating a menu, shopping for ingredients, and cooking someone’s meals for them each week.

Or, if you make amazing baked goods or other specialty items that friends and family can’t get enough of, sell these things online through digital marketplaces or your own online store.

Just make sure to check your local regulations to see what licenses and permits you need to keep everything legal.

14. Start a cleaning business

A cleaning business might not seem glamorous, but that’s exactly why it stands out as one of the most lucrative side jobs for women.

Most people don’t like to clean, so they are willing to pay someone good money to do it for them.

Even for those just starting out, it is not unusual to make $20-$50 per hour cleaning houses.

Diversify into specialized cleaning services such as commercial cleaning, carpet cleaning, event cleanup, or move-in/out cleaning, and you can make a lot more!

To get started, join local Facebook community groups and promote your services.

Or join a lead generation website like HomeYou.com or HouseKeeper.com, which connects cleaners with needy customers in many different locales.

15. Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping, vitally important in an era of many running their own small business, has become one of the best online jobs for women in particular.

Seriously, nearly 85% of all bookkeepers in the US are women!

Bookkeepers are individuals who keep track of a business’s invoices, inventory, and expenses.

And while this may sound intense to some, you don’t need any special qualifications or certifications to start with bookkeeping jobs. All you need is an aptitude for numbers and a desire to help businesses succeed.

That said, if you’re thinking of getting started with a bookkeeping side hustle, I would definitely recommend taking this incredible free course. It will give you a proven step-by-step guide to success!

Want to know more? Take a look at my complete breakdown of How to Become a Bookkeeper from Home.

Which Side Hustle Is Best For You As A Woman?

Simply, the best side hustle for you as a woman is whatever you want to do!

That’s just the beauty of it – there are no boxes to be put in, no stereotypes to follow. It’s all about what works best for you personally!

So, what are you waiting for? Now is the perfect time to start your new side hustle and take the first step into a new life of freedom and flexibility, whatever that means to you.

Whichever way you choose, please let me know how it is going in the comments below.

We, as women, must support each other! It would make me exceptionally happy to hear how you are doing or to provide you with any advice I can.