Does the digital economy improve female employment? A cross-country panel data analysis

Abstract

The digital economy has had an impact on the female employment rate over time. Currently, the researchers are more interested in investigating the impacts of the digital economy by focusing on its various aspects of female employment. The current study is motivated by this renewed interest to investigate the impact of the digital economy on female employment rates in Asian Developing Countries from 1990 to 2021. The digital economy is measured by several indicators such as fixed telephone subscriptions, fixed broadband subscriptions, mobile phone subscriptions, secure internet servers, and internet users. The Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PARDL) model is used for analysis that reveals a positive relationship between female employment rates and the digital economy in both the short and long run. The control variables/factors, Education and GDP, also showed positive relationships with female employment. We suggest that governments prioritize funding for digital infrastructure and encourage fair access to technology, especially for women, based on our study. Furthermore, the positive effects of the digital economy on female employment can be strengthened through focused policy interventions, such as offering financial incentives to companies that hire and train women in digital skills. By utilizing these tactics, policymakers can guarantee that women are prepared to take advantage of the chances brought about by the quickly changing digital landscape, promoting gender equality and inclusive economic growth throughout Asian developing nations.