Effect of Access to Digital Devices on Socio-Economic Empowerment of Rural Women: Evidence from Kakamega County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t4429Abstract
Socio-economic empowerment of women remains a central development concern, particularly for rural women whose ability to generate income, access markets, participate in financial systems and take part in household and community decision-making continues to lag behind that of their male counterparts and their urban peers. This study sought to analyze the effect of access to digital devices on the socio-economic empowerment of rural women in Kakamega County. The study was anchored on the Capability Approach Theory and supported by the Digital Divide Theory. Descriptive survey research design was used. The target population included 250 respondents from the rural women entrepreneurs, women farmers, community leaders and ICT extension officers in Kakamega County. Simple random sampling was used for rural women and purposive sampling for key informants, and a sample size of 154 respondents was determined using the Yamane formula. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Access to digital devices had a positive and significant correlation with socio-economic empowerment (r=0.517, p<0.001), and the regression results showed that access to digital devices (β = 0.279, p = 0.001) was a positive and statistically significant determinant of the socio-economic empowerment of rural women. The study concludes that access to digital devices has a positive and statistically significant impact on socio-economic empowerment of rural women in Kakamega County, and that even little improvements in device access can have a positive measurable impact on women's economic empowerment. The study recommends that the County government, in collaboration with mobile network operators, microfinance institutions and development partners, develop and put in place specific device financing/device subsidy programmes to boost the ownership of mobile phones and other digital devices amongst the rural women.
Keywords: Access to Digital Devices, Socio-Economic Empowerment, Rural Women, Gender Digital Divide, Kakamega County, Capability Approach Theory
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