Digitization and Gender Income Gap Among Rural Migrants: Evidence from China

Abstract

This article explores the role of digitization in the gender wage gap among rural migrants in China. With the rapid development of the digital economy, rural migrant workers have become an important part of society. Based on data source from National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, we find that although digitization increases the overall income of rural migrant workers, it benefits males more than females, and the gender income gap among rural migrants is widening. According to our estimates, digitization significantly improves the mobility of females and requires more male physical workers than females, thus widening the gender income gap. Heterogeneity analysis shows that there are significant differences in the effect of digitization among those who have different education levels, marital status, ages, and the economic levels of the cities they have migrated to. The gender income gap widens when rural migrants have junior or high school education, are married, are young, and have migrated to cities with high economic development. Our findings highlight the effects of digitization across special social groups, providing micro-evidence of the digital economy's impact on the gender income gap and offering useful references for implementing digital strategies and public policies to social equity and sustainable development.