Digital Technology Use, Market Scope and Expected Employment Growth among Women Entrepreneurs: Cross-Country Evidence from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

Malak Saad

doi:10.24191/jibe.v11i2.13868

Authors

Malak Saad Independent Researcher, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24191/jibe.v11i2.13868

Keywords:

Digital Technology Use, Women Entrepreneurs, Market Access, Expected Business Growth, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

Abstract

Digital technologies are increasingly seen as a way to widen women entrepreneurs’ market reach, yet evidence beyond digital access remains limited. Few studies examine how entrepreneurs’ actual technology use relates to growth expectations and whether market scope explains this link. This study examines the association between digital technology use and expected employment growth among women entrepreneurs and tests market scope as a statistical mediator. Using 2022 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data on 6,144 women in early-stage entrepreneurial activity across 46 economies, we estimated a linear regression with country fixed effects and country-clustered standard errors, and a country-cluster bootstrap mediation model. Digital technology use was positively associated with expected employment growth (B = 1.340, SE = 0.372, p < .001), and market scope showed a positive indirect association (B = 0.353, 95% CI [0.233, 0.525]), consistent with partial mediation. Significance varied across weighting specifications, and the cross-sectional design precludes causal interpretation. The study contributes cross-national evidence linking technology use, market scope, and growth expectations among women entrepreneurs.

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