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Digitalisation and Women’s Workforce Participation in the Indo-Pacific

Author

Listed:
  • Timothy Watson

    (Australian National University)

  • Michael Corliss

    (Centre for Labour Market Research)

  • Michelle Le

    (Australian National University)

Abstract

Between 2000 and 2016 the gap between women and men’s workforce participation in the Indo-Pacific has narrowed, while indicators of digital connectivity and Internet use have grown rapidly. We find a robust and statistically significant correlation between Internet use and women’s workforce participation controlling for country fixed effects, a time trend, and numerous other controls. The most conservative estimate suggests that, on average, growth in Internet use has been associated with around four-fifths of the increase in women’s participation in the Indo-Pacific between 2000 and 2016. Instrumental variables estimation finds a stronger positive association between women’s workforce participation and exogenously determined Internet use. Despite finding a positive association between Internet use and women’s participation, a number of barriers exist that are preventing women from fully sharing in the benefits of the digital economy. Based on findings from the G20 Taskforce on Digitalisation, we consider a range of measures that policymakers in the Indo-Pacific can pursue to address these barriers.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy Watson & Michael Corliss & Michelle Le, 2018. "Digitalisation and Women’s Workforce Participation in the Indo-Pacific," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 21(1), pages 45-74.
    • Handle: RePEc:ozl:journl:v:21:y:2018:i:1:p:45-74
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    2. Nkoumou Ngoa, Gaston Brice & Song, Jacques Simon, 2021. "Female participation in African labor markets: The role of information and communication technologies," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9).

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