THE GENDER GAP IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY: THE ECONOMIC IMPACT

This paper examines the economic impact of the gender gap in the digital economy. It demonstrates that, despite the high innovative potential of digital sectors, women remain under-represented in high-productivity IT roles, venture entrepreneurship and the management of platform-based employment (see Table 1). The paper hypothesises that this asymmetry leads to measurable macroeconomic losses — reduced productivity, underproduction of digital products and a hindrance to innovation. A methodology for cross-country regression analysis using OECD and World Bank data is proposed. Additionally, the case of Uzbekistan is examined, where between 2018 and 2024 the number of female students in ICT programmes increased by 430%, yet a significant gap in digital skills persists (women lagging behind by 24% according to UNDP estimates, 2022). The expected results suggest that reducing the gender digital divide is not only a social measure but also a factor in economic growth. The scope of the work corresponds to the format of academic abstracts (1–2 pages).