Assessing The Role of Digital India Initiatives in EmpoweringRural Women: An Analysis ‎through The UTAUT Model

  • Authors

    • Dr. R. Indradevi Department of Commerce, School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute ‎of Technology, Vellore
    • Dr. Sathish A. S. ‎ VIT Business School, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
    • Dr. Geetha R. Department of Commerce, School of Social Sciences and Languages, ‎ Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
    https://doi.org/10.14419/x9by9t43

    Received date: October 18, 2025

    Accepted date: October 25, 2025

    Published date: December 14, 2025

  • Rural Women Empowerment; Digital India; Technology Adoption; UTAUT2; Smart PLS‎.

  • Abstract

    Background: To examine the impacts of the Digital India scheme on the economic empowerment of ‎rural women in India, the study has adopted Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of ‎Technology 2 (UTAUT2) and Empowerment Theory as a theoretical foundation. ‎

    Methods: Conceptualizing the research process is based on a cross-sectional study; data were ‎collected from 570 women in rural India in three states (Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil ‎Nadu) who had participated in state-funded digital literacy and capacity building initiatives. ‎‎“Structural equation modeling (SEM)” was conducted on the relationship between performance ‎expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating condition, behavioral intention, and ‎actual usage of digital services using SmartPLS. ‎

    Result: All proposed relationships were significant, confirmed, and found that the perceived ‎usefulness, ease of use, social encouragement, and infrastructures positively influence women's ‎behavioral intention to adopt digital platforms, which results in actual usage and economic ‎empowerment. The results encourage the use of UTAUT2 in a gendered rural context and extend ‎Empowerment Theory by making links between technology and behavior engagement and ‎concrete empowerment outcomes. The study is theoretically constructive as it integrates two ‎theoretical paradigms, technology adoption and empowerment, and practically constructive in ‎that the study offers recommendations to policymakers in the design of inclusive digital ‎strategies. It recommends surmounting digital infrastructure capabilities, growing vernacular ‎digital education, and facilitating community-based learning for sustainable empowerment. ‎

    Conclusion: This research emphasizes that through evidence-based interventions and effective ‎community engagement in digital interventions would bring about a change in the social and ‎economic agency of rural women with the role of Digital India being an enabler to the process of ‎inclusive and technologically enabled rural development‎.

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    Indradevi , D. R. ., A. S. ‎, D. S. ., & R. , D. G. . (2025). Assessing The Role of Digital India Initiatives in EmpoweringRural Women: An Analysis ‎through The UTAUT Model. International Journal of Accounting and Economics Studies, 12(8), 388-397. https://doi.org/10.14419/x9by9t43