Modeling the impact of socio-economic and constraint factors on accessibility and usability of ICTs among agricultural women in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in agriculture addresses critical challenges related to productivity, empowerment, and information asymmetry. However, among marginalized groups, particularly agricultural women in developing countries, ICT accessibility and utilization remain significantly constrained. This article employs multiple linear regression models to examine how education and five distinct categories of perceived constraints, infrastructural, social, economic, personal, and health-related, affect both ICT accessibility and utilization among agricultural women in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected from 384 women using a multistage-cum-random sampling technique and a structured interview schedule. Constraints were measured using Likert-scale items and analyzed as separate predictor variables. The results reveal that education significantly and positively influences ICT accessibility and utilization. Among the constraints, infrastructural (β = –0.48 for accessibility; β = –0.51 for utilization), economic (β = –0.33, –0.36), and social (β = –0.29, –0.30) barriers exert statistically significant negative effects on both ICT accessibility and utilization. Notably, over 70% of respondents reported infrastructural constraints, 68% economic limitations, and 62% social restrictions. Personal and health-related barriers were less frequently reported and statistically insignificant. These findings underscore the need for gender-sensitive ICT policies focusing on rural infrastructure, affordability, and digital literacy to bridge the rural digital gender divide and foster inclusive agricultural transformation.