Evaluating the Role of Digital Infrastructure and Labour Market Efficiency in Promoting Women’s Digital Entrepreneurship: A Comparative Study of Selected Asian Countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53573/rhimrj.2025.v12n6SI.001Keywords:
Women Entrepreneurship, Digital Infrastructure, Labor Market Efficiency, Gender Inclusion, AsiaAbstract
This study investigates the role of digital infrastructure and labor market efficiency in fostering women’s digital entrepreneurship across five Asian countries India, China, Japan, Pakistan, and Russia. By leveraging secondary data from the World Bank’s Gender Data Portal (2000–2024) and conducting econometric analysis using unit root and cointegration tests (Johansen and Engle-Granger methods), the study identifies structural relationships in female labor force participation (FLF) and its link to digital inclusion. Findings reveal that while countries like China and Russia have achieved notable progress in women's digital economic participation due to policy support and internet access, others like India and Pakistan continue to face barriers such as digital gender divide, low digital literacy, and limited access to finance. The study concludes that digital entrepreneurship can be a transformative tool for women’s empowerment, but it requires coordinated policy efforts targeting digital infrastructure, financial inclusion, labor flexibility, and gender-sensitive innovation.
References
Chatterjee, R., & Sundararajan, A. (2022). Digital Women Entrepreneurs in India: Empowerment, Aspirations and Obstacles. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, 8(2), 120-134.
China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC). (2022). Statistical Report on Internet Development in China.
Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (Rosstat). (2023). Labor Market Indicators.
GSMA. (2023). The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023. GSMA Association.
Japan Cabinet Office. (2022). White Paper on Gender Equality.
OECD. (2021). Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Include, Upskill, Innovate. OECD Publishing.
UNESCAP. (2020). Digital Connectivity and Women’s Empowerment in Asia and the Pacific.
UNESCAP. (2020). Digital Connectivity and Women’s Empowerment in Asia and the Pacific. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
World Bank. (2022). World Development Indicators.
World Bank. (2023). Gender Data Portal.
World Bank. (2023). World Development Indicators.
World Economic Forum. (2022). The Global Competitiveness Report 2022. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
