Оценка влияния цифровизации на гендерное неравенство на рынке труда в развитых и развивающихся странах / The effect of digitalization on job market gender inequality in developing and developed countries

Аннотация

Using country-year panel datasets from 1995 to 2020 of 83 developing and 36 developed countries, this research seeks to investigate the two-fold impact of digitalization on women’s labor force participation rates. This study finds that there is a insignificant relationship between internet usage and the female labor force participation, as an increase in Internet use by 1% increases the level of women's participation in the labor force by 0.01 percentage points, an increase in the number of broadband subscribers decreases female labor force participation by 0.34 percentage points in developing countries; secondly, in developed countries, an increase in Internet use by 1% increases the level of women's participation in the labor force by 0.31 percentage points, an increase in the number of subscribers broadband – by 0.29 percentage points. In addition, the study finds that a 1% increase in Internet usage decreases the gender wage gap by 0.37 and 0.3 points in developing and developed countries, broadband subscription leads to a decline of gender wage gap by about 0.47 and 0.3 points in developing and developed countries. They key takeaway from this research speaks to the importance of digitalization and shows how digitalization can be a double edge sword. It can affect and infiltrate every sector of the society both positively and negatively.
With that it carries the potential to change social interactions, labor market structure and require people to rely more on technology. Despite its limitations concerning data availability, this research is relevant and important for global policy context as noted both by the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Development Agenda. It demonstrates both the urgency of action and the need to understand why digitalization matters and how policies could prioritize women’s equal access to digital technology and training as a way to enhance their skills and literacy.