A STUDY ON DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES WITH REFERENCE TO ANDHRA PRADESH

Abstract

Digital transformation has emerged as a critical driver of organizational change, significantly influencing workforce participation, productivity, and inclusivity across sectors. Within this rapidly evolving environment, women employees constitute a vital demographic whose empowerment is increasingly shaped by access to and effective use of digital technologies. As organizations adopt digital systems, platforms, and communication tools, the ability of women employees to engage confidently and independently with these technologies has become central to their professional growth, workplace participation, and decision-making autonomy. Despite improvements in digital infrastructure and supportive policy initiatives, notable disparities remain in the extent to which women are able to leverage digital resources for empowerment and career advancement. The present study investigates the determinants of digital empowerment among women employees in Andhra Pradesh by examining the roles of digital literacy, digital access, and organizational support in influencing empowerment outcomes and perceived career development. The study addresses a significant gap in existing literature by integrating empowerment theory with digital capability frameworks and empirically testing the proposed relationships through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A quantitative research design was employed, and primary data were collected from 320 women respondents working in IT, banking, education, and public sector organizations. The findings indicate that digital literacy and organizational support have strong and significant positive effects on digital empowerment, highlighting the importance of skill development and enabling workplace environments. In contrast, digital access alone shows a limited direct influence unless supported by meaningful skill utilization and organizational facilitation. Further analysis demonstrates that digital empowerment significantly enhances women employees’ perceptions of career growth, confidence, and professional agency. The study makes an important theoretical contribution by proposing an integrated model of digital empowerment and offers practical implications for human resource policy, organizational strategy, and inclusive workforce development aimed at strengthening women’s participation and advancement in the digital era.