MEASURING DIGITAL INEQUALITY ACROSS THE LIFE CYCLE: AGE, GENDER, AND EDUCATION EFFECTS IN TURKIYE

Rapid technological developments have forced economic actors to adapt to the digital world, revealing the economic significance of digital inequalities. This study investigates digital inequality dynamics throughout the life cycle in Turkey by creating a multidimensional digital welfare indicator. This indicator encompasses access to digital tools, usage frequency, purposes, and digital experience, using TURKSTAT's Household Information Technology Usage Surveys. Digital inequality is measured via the Gini coefficient across age, gender, and education. Findings show that digital inequality in Turkey decreased significantly in the last decade, with the Gini coefficient falling from 0.539 in 2015 to 0.285 in 2023. Digital inequality increases steadily across age groups after youth and is significantly higher among elderly individuals, women, and those with low education. While digital inequalities among women exceed those among men, this gap has widened over the last decade. Digital welfare follows an inverted U-shape throughout the life cycle, peaking in middle age. Education significantly reduces age and gender-based digital inequalities. Policy recommendations include digital literacy programs for the elderly, gender-sensitive support strategies, and integration of digital skills into lifelong learning frameworks.