Inequality and gender inclusion: Minimum ICT policy thresholds for promoting female employment in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The study assesses how ICT modulates the effect of inequality on female economic participation in a panel of 42 countries in sub-Saharan Africa over the period 2004-2014. Three inequality indicators are used, namely: the Gini coefficient, the Atkinson index and the Palma ratio. The adopted ICT indicators are mobile phone penetration, internet penetration and fixed broadband subscriptions. Three gender economic inclusion indicators are also used for the analysis, namely: female labour force participation, female unemployment and female employment. The Generalised Method of Moments is employed as empirical strategy. The findings show that enhancing ICT beyond certain thresholds is necessary for ICT to mitigate inequality in order to enhance gender economic participation. First, for female labour force participation, a minimum threshold of 165.714 mobile phone penetration per 100 people is required for the Palma ratio. Second, minimum ICT thresholds for the reduction of female unemployment are: (i) 87.783, 107.486 and 152.500 mobile phone penetration per 100 people for respectively, the Gini coefficient, the Atkinson index and the Palma ratio; (ii) 39.618 internet penetration per 100 people for the Atkinson index and (iii) 4.500 fixed broadband subscriptions for the Palma ratio. Third, the corresponding ICT thresholds for the promotion of female employment are: (i) 120.369 and 85.533 mobile phone penetration per 100 people for respectively, the Gini coefficient and the Atkinson index and (ii) 30.005 internet penetration per 100 people for the Gini coefficient. The established thresholds make economic sense and can be feasibly implemented by policy makers in order to induce favourable effects on gender economic inclusion dynamics.

Inclusive education for inclusive economic participation: the financial access channel

“…The premise for computing complementary thresholds that are consistent with contemporary threshold literature (Asongu and Odhiambo, 2020b, 2020c) builds on the fact that, for the most part, conditional or interactive estimates associated with positive female economic participation outcomes are negative (i.e. Tables 1 and 3) while the conditional or interactive estimates associated with negative female economic participation outcomes are positive (i.e.…”

Women’s participation in the offshore and inshore fisheries entrepreneurship

“…Other African-centric studies on female economic participation that this study departs from have focussed on: gender discrimination in land ownership (Ajala, 2017); women and gender in English-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa (Ampofo et al , 2004); researching African women and gender studies (Ampofo et al , 2008); rethinking the feminization of poverty (Chant, 2006); the feminization of poverty (Chant, 2008); African feminist studies (Lewis, 2002); women’s studies in Africa (Mama, 1996); gender studies in Africa at crossroads (Nzomo, 1998); gender identity (Stoller, 1964); sex and gender on development (Stoller, 1968); oil transnational corporations, environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) (Edoho, 2018); nexuses between governance, inequality, globalization, information technology and female economic participation (Efobi et al , 2018; Asongu and Odhiambo, 2018, 2020a, 2020b, 2020c, 2020d; Asongu et al , 2020a, 2020b); CSR and Chinese oil and gas multinationals in the oil and gas industry of Nigeria (Ekhator, 2014); effect of CSR on advancement of women in small-scale fisheries of Sub-Saharan Africa (Uduji and Okolo-Obasi, 2018c); the skepticisms of interested parties on MOCs CSR initiatives in Nigeria (Eweje, 2007); the dishonest improvement promise of CSR of MOCs (Frynas, 2005); CSR of MOCs in the HIV/AIDS response (Uduji et al , 2019c); reinventing the wheels of CSR practices in the oil industry of Nigeria (Idemudia, 2007); Shell’s input towards sustainable community development in the Niger Delta of Nigeria (Ite, 2006); CSR inventiveness in Nigeria and rural women livestock keepers in oil-host communities (Uduji and Okolo-Obasi, 2018d); CSR input towards human development (Lompo and Trani, 2013); CSR and disparity in the Niger Delta of Nigeria (Renouard and Lado, 2012); CSR and the role of women in sustainable improvement in agricultural in Sub-Saharan Africa (Uduji et al , 2019b) and customers’ experience with self-service technologies in Nigeria (Ugwuanyi et al , 2020).…”

Evaluating the Effect of Digital Transformation on Improvement of Service Trade in West Africa

“…The region’s governments are making efforts towards sustainable development, and digitisation has been seen as an instrument of sustainable development (Adeleye & Eboagu, 2019; Asongu & Odhiambo, 2018; Asongu & Odhiambo, 2020). Therefore, its adaptation to service trade will aid sustainable growth in the service trade sector.…”