Nexus between Women Empowerment and Sustainable Development in Low-Income Countries: Insights from Panel ARDL Model

This analysis investigates the impact of women's empowerment on sustainable development in low-income countries using a panel dataset from 2001 to 2020. For data estimation, panel unit root techniques, Pedroni cointegration test, panel ARDL and causality tests are used. Panel ARDL long-run outcomes point out that the variables women empowerment, human capital, life expectancy at birth, and trade openness are positively and significantly related to sustainable development, while the variable agriculture growth has a negative and significant impact on sustainable development in low-income countries. Keeping in view the study outcomes, it is concluded that women empowerment is playing an important role in influencing sustainable development in low-income countries, so policymakers of these countries need to improve the status of women by providing health, education and employment facilities for women to improve the sustainable development of a country.