Factors Influencing the Willingness of Left-Behind Rural Women to Participate in Digital Village Development -An Empirical Study Based on Micro data from Shaanxi Province, China

Xueyan Bai ^1* Lin Yang ^1,2

• ¹ Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
• ² Research Center of New Media and Rural Revitalization, Xian, China

The gradual transformation of left-behind rural women from being solely engaged in domestic labor or labor-intensive industries to becoming active participants in the digital age injects new momentum into the digital development of rural areas with concentrated left-behind populations. Understanding how to enhance their willingness to participate in digital village development is a pressing concern.Drawing on the theory of planned behavior, this study extends the traditional theoretical framework by incorporating previous participation behavior as a supplementary variable.Utilizing electronic questionnaire survey data and leveraging SPSS and AMOS statistical software, this research employs descriptive statistics, rank-sum tests, and structural equation modeling to systematically explore how previous participation behavior, behavioral attitude, subjective norms,perceived behavioral control(Internal control and external controls)and personal background characteristics influence left-behind rural women's willingness to participate in digital village development.The findings indicate that:(1) Previous participation behaviors, external control factors, behavioral attitudes, and subjective norms have a significant positive impact on participation willingness, whereas internal control factors do not show a significant effect.(2) In addition to left-behind rural women’s educational level, factors such as their own age, monthly income, husbands’ educational level and income, and household caregiving responsibilities, such as the number of elderly and children, significantly influence their willingness to participate, highlighting the constraints imposed by traditional gender norms and household labor divisions.These findings suggest that strengthening previous participation behaviors, external control factors, behavioral attitudes, and subjective norms is crucial. Additionally, differentiated strategies should be designed for various subgroups. Mobilizing husbands’ support and alleviating the burden of elderly care and child-rearing are essential for encouraging higher levels of participation. These measures can significantly enhance left-behind rural women’s willingness to participate in digital village development. This research offers valuable theoretical and practical insights for unlocking the potential of left-behind rural women, promoting gender equality, advancing digital rural governance,driving rural modernization, fostering sustainable rural development, and bridging the rural-urban socio-economic divide.