Women’s Economic Empowerment in Armenia and their Greater Integration into Markets and the Digital Economy: Challenges and Opportunities amid COVID-19

The handbook on ‘Women’s Economic Empowerment in Armenia and their Greater Integration into Markets and the Digital Economy: Challenges and Opportunities amid COVID-19’ examines the importance of the digital economy, women’s economic empowerment, and emergent challenges and opportunities amid the COVID-19 crisis. It offers approaches to empowering women and girls in their education, career and entrepreneurial choices. It explores the relationship between the digital economy/ICT sector and women’s economic empowerment in Armenia, reviews gender challenges in the digital economy and labour market and identifies trends in women and girls’ digital participation with a special focus on COVID-19.

The handbook provides guidance on how STEM, business and digital skills can be utilized to empower women and girls for their greater participation in labour markets and the digital economy. It discusses key gender bottlenecks in women’s economic empowerment related to the digital economy. The handbook concludes with recommendations for policymakers, development partners, public and private-sector entities and for educational/vocational institutions under three priority areas: digital skills development; women’s entrepreneurship in the digital economy; and integrating the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in private companies in the digital sector.

The handbook has been produced by UN Women under the joint UN project ‘Accelerating Women’s Empowerment for Economic Resilience and Renewal: The post-COVID-19 reboot in Armenia’, implemented by UNDP, UNIDO, UNICEF and UN Women.