The Impact of Internet Usage on Nonfarm Employment for Rural Women
摘要
Nonfarm employment is the major way for rural women to augment their income and elevate their economic status. Internet usage has a positive effect on labor market outcomes, but little attention has been paid to its effect on nonfarm employment of rural women. Given the research gap, data from the China Family Panel Studies is used and the inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment estimator is applied to analyze the effect of Internet usage on nonfarm employment for rural women. The results show that Internet usage can significantly promote rural women’s nonfarm employment including nonfarm self-employment, nonfarm wage employment, nonfarm local and migrated employment, and tertiary sector employment. Furthermore, increasing the diversity of Internet access helps enhance the positive effect of Internet usage on rural women’s nonfarm employment. Subgroup analysis shows that the effect of Internet usage on rural women’s nonfarm employment varies by marital status and education levels. Therefore, increasing rural women’s Internet usage is necessary.