The Resilience of Rural Women Entrepreneurs With ICT Adoption During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the economy and labor force. In the context of employment, ICT provided an alternative for employees to remain productive. Unfortunately, the low penetration of ICT in Indonesia resulted in the low adaptation of technology in rural areas. This study aims to examine the impact of ICT usage on the resilience of women entrepreneurs in rural areas. The study utilized data from the High-Frequency Monitoring of COVID-19 Impacts (HFMCI) survey conducted by the World Bank, specifically Wave 1 and 5. The data were subsequently analyzed using logistic regression with some variable interactions. The results show that ICT usage has a significant negative impact on business sustainability for women entrepreneurs in rural areas, while in some interaction variables, the usage of ICT in the wholesale and retail trade sector and other sectors has a higher probability in the sustainability of rural women entrepreneurs. The results confirm that rural women entrepreneurs in Indonesia face numerous problems in accessing and utilizing ICT. Strategies need to be developed to increase access, improve human resource skills, and reduce the cost of ICT access to support community economic activities.