The Gendered Landscape of Digital Technology Adoption in SMEs: A Systematic Synthesis of Patterns

The goal of this study is to investigate the research landscape related to digital technology adoption in female-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through a systematic literature review (SLR). Analysing publications from Scopus and Web of Science, the study identifies sporadic scholarly interest in gender-related topics and digitalisation after 2006, and a significant surge since 2018. However, there is a notable lack of publications that thoroughly address gender differences in the adoption of digital technologies by SMEs. The thematic analysis and synthesis highlight three emerging patterns. First, while gender-based differences in digital technologies adoption exist, they are primarily driven by structural firm characteristics – such as size, age, and sector – rather than the manager’s gender. Second, the adoption of specific digital technologies reveals gendered patterns and distinct drivers. Third, digitalisation emerges as a paradoxical and context-dependent catalyst: it is found to empower female entrepreneurs to overcome socio-cultural barriers while simultaneously enabling the replication of offline inequalities in the digital space. The findings of this study outline areas of inconclusive empirical results that could inform future research. It formulates recommendations for policymakers to design gender-sensitive digital upskilling and financial support programs that can help increase the pace of female-led SMEs’ digitalisation.