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Information and Communication Technology Adoption and the Demand for Female Labor: The Case of Indian Industry

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  • Jain Ritika

    (Centre for Development Studies, 695011Trivandrum, Kerala, India)

Abstract

Does the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) lead to better and more inclusive women representation in the workforce? We explore this question for India- a developing economy characterized by strong patriarchal norms and gender-based discrimination in the workforce. Using the World Bank Enterprise Survey of 2014, we examine the effect of computerization, email usage and Internet services on three aspects of female representation- total female representation, representation across the hierarchy of workforce and quality of female representation. Using instrumental variable estimation models, we find that ICT adoption has a positive effect on the total share of women in the workforce. A deeper analysis reveals that the positive effect of ICTs on female employment is limited to the share of females in the highly skilled workforce. In contrast, it does not affect the female share in the low or unskilled workforce. This indicates that ICT adoption has a semi-polarization effect on women. We also find that ICT adoption is associated with better quality females in the workforce. Both rises in demand for skilled people and a women-friendly work environment drive these results. The overall findings establish the effective role of ICTs in enhancing women’s representation in the workforce.

Suggested Citation

  • Jain Ritika, 2021. "Information and Communication Technology Adoption and the Demand for Female Labor: The Case of Indian Industry," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 21(2), pages 695-722, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:21:y:2021:i:2:p:695-722:n:7
    DOI: 10.1515/bejeap-2020-0295
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    Cited by:

    1. Ritika Jain & Rajnish Kumar, 2023. "Effect of COVID‐19 Lockdown on the Profitability of Firms in India," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 42(1), pages 54-71, March.
    2. Mohammad Amin & Asif M. Islam, 2023. "Export intensity and its effect on women's employment," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(4), pages 676-704, November.
    3. Yu Shuangshuang & Wenzhong Zhu & Nafeesa Mughal & Sergio Ivan Vargas Aparcana & Iskandar Muda, 2023. "The impact of education and digitalization on female labour force participation in BRICS: an advanced panel data analysis," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Wei Yang & Peng Yang & Huaiwang Shi & Weizeng Sun, 2022. "Mobile Payment Application and Rural Household Consumption—Evidence from China Household Finance Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Tasciotti, Luca & Sulehria, Farooq & Wagner, Natascha, 2024. "Fertility, electricity and television: is there a link? Evidence from Pakistan, 1990–2018," Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 90(2), pages 285-312, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ICT adoption; India; labor; women representation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

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