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Labor market opportunities for women in the digital age

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  • Krieger-Boden, Christiane
  • Sorgner, Alina

Abstract

Digitalization offers a variety of opportunities for female empowerment and for a more equal female participation in labor markets, financial markets, and entrepreneurship. Currently, digitalization seems to favor female labor force, since women face on average lower risk of being replaced by machines, as compared to men. Women's often superior social skills represent a comparative advantage in the digital age, and this is particularly so when social skills are complemented with higher education and advanced digital literacy. However, the same barriers and deficits that obstruct women's current advancement in many countries may deprive them from many beneficial opportunities in the digital age, including new entrepreneurial opportunities. Major efforts by policy makers are required to invalidate these barriers. New digital technologies should be used more decisively to achieve the goal of gender equality.

Suggested Citation

  • Krieger-Boden, Christiane & Sorgner, Alina, 2018. "Labor market opportunities for women in the digital age," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy, vol. 12, pages 1-8.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ifweej:201828
    DOI: 10.5018/economics-ejournal.ja.2018-28
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Verdin, Rachel & O'Reilly, Jacqueline, 2021. "A gender agenda for the future of work in a digital age of pandemics: Jobs, skills and contracts," WSI Studies 24, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    2. Liu, Guiling & Liu, Ruifeng & Tian, Mengling & Wang, Jian & Ma, Hengyun, 2025. "Heterogeneous impact of digital economy on employment quality of female migrant workers in an emerging economy: Evidence from China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    3. Andreas Eder & Wolfgang Koller & Bernhard Mahlberg, 2022. "Economy 4.0: employment effects by occupation, industry, and gender," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 49(4), pages 1063-1088, November.
    4. Xue, Qihang & Wang, Huimin & Wei, Jian & Bai, Caiquan, 2024. "Does the digital economy improve female autonomy?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 193-207.
    5. Hina Ahmed & Sami Ullah Bajwa & Sobia Nasir & Waqas Khan & Kashif Mahmood & Sadia Ishaque, 2026. "Digital Empowerment: Exploring the Role of Digitalization in Enhancing Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 17(1), pages 466-497, February.
    6. Gu, Ke & Stoyanov, Andrey, 2022. "Female Labor Supply and International Trade," MPRA Paper 111778, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Jayasooriya Mudiyanselage Harshana Miyuranga Upulwehera & Senanayake Mudiyanselage Sadeesha Nuwandi Senanayake & Sisira Kumara Naradda Gamage & Jayasundara Mudiyanselage Samarakoon Banda Jayasundara &, 2024. "Is Women Entrepreneurship a Key Driver for Business Performance of the SMEs in Asian Developing Nations? A Case Study of SMEs in the Agricultural Sector in Sri Lanka," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(4), pages 17436-17471, December.
    8. Gioia, Francesca & Morabito, Leo, 2025. "Behind the Screen: Gender Differences in the Creator Economy," IZA Discussion Papers 17666, IZA Network @ LISER.
    9. Sun, Meiqi & Lu, Jia, 2025. "Mobile phones and economic gender inequality: A panel study of 104 countries from 2014 to 2022," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(10).
    10. Tetiana Stroiko & Patricia P. Iglesias-Sanchez & Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado & Elena Fernández-Díaz & Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa, 2024. "Ukrainian Women’s Entrepreneurship and Business Ecosystem during the War: New Challenges for Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-21, May.
    11. Zi Hui Yin & Ting Hui Zhang & Chang Hwan Choi, 2023. "Toward sustainable development: Does digitalization narrow the gender gap in the labor market?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(5), pages 3528-3539, October.

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    JEL classification:

    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • J7 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination

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