Paper short abstract:

We investigate the effects of employment based on market forces on independent digital connectivity, through an alternative framework in support of SDG 9 that ensures sustainable digital capabilities through securing ownership instead of mere access, and eliminates reliance on public goods.

Paper long abstract:

The target of SDG 9 “Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure”’ to “ensure access to technology by increasing coverage” misses the agency narrative of digital connectivity. Individuals should have the agency to connect whenever and from whatever device they choose. Digital agency is not guaranteed via reliance on public goods, but might be influenced by paid work, where women dominate employment in precarious jobs. This paper interrogates the effects of employment based on market forces on Indonesia's gendered digital capabilities divide. Market forces in this context relate to the demand from different economic sectors in the informal economy (e.g., agriculture, commerce, and services) that drives economic actors to own and use a digital device. We conceptualise one form of digital capabilities: independent digital connectivity (IDC), modelled by integrating two sets of information: digital device ownership and internet access. A mixed-methods research design was employed, combining a national sample (SOFIA) and 100 semi-structured interviews acquired through remote fieldwork in Rural Indonesia. Findings demonstrate that informal self-employment in agriculture has a higher discouraging effect in medium IDC among men and maximum IDC among women. In commerce, women are less likely to acquire medium IDC, while men are less likely to acquire maximum IDC. In services, men are less likely to acquire medium IDC, while women are less likely to acquire maximum IDC. Five market forces identified from the qualitative data: i) trend and profitability, ii) connecting with prospective buyers, iii) the presence of local online marketplaces, iv) loss prevention and v) low market saturation.