Impact of Information and Communication Technology on the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Madurai District

Abstract

The study examines the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the economic empowerment of rural women entrepreneurs in Madurai District. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was adopted, and primary data were collected from 150 rural women entrepreneurs using a structured questionnaire and simple random sampling technique. The study considers ease of use, perceived usefulness and ICT use as independent variables and economic empowerment as the dependent variable. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the model explains 46.7% of the variation in economic empowerment (R² = 0.467). Perceived usefulness (β = 0.518, p less than 0.001) and ICT use (β = 0.235, p = 0.001) have significant positive influences on economic empowerment, whereas ease of use (β = 0.024, p = 0.736) does not have a statistically significant influence. The findings highlight the importance of recognising the practical benefits of digital technologies and encouraging their effective utilisation to strengthen the economic independence of rural women entrepreneurs.