P074 Women's Empowerment, Social Inclusion, And Digital Literacy From An Islamic Perspective

A Systematic Literature Review Of Global Evidence (2006–2026)

Abstract

This systematic literature review synthesises two decades (2006–2026) of peer-reviewed scholarship on the intersection of women's empowerment, digital literacy, and social inclusion within Islamic contexts. Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, a search of Scopus and Web of Science yielded 127 records, which were screened and assessed for eligibility to produce a final sample of 24 studies spanning Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. Guided by Kabeer's (1999) tripartite framework of resources, agency, and achievements, Sen's (1999) capability approach, and an Islamic theological lens grounded in maqasid al-shariah, the review identifies eight recurring themes, including theological reconceptualisations of gender justice, Islamic education as an empowerment pathway, Islamic microfinance and fintech, the digital halal economy, the gender digital divide, state-led policy and e-/m-government reform, digital media and religious identity, and regional variation across Southeast Asia, South Asia, the MENA/Gulf region, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Findings indicate that digital access alone is insufficient for empowerment; outcomes depend on complementary digital- and financial-literacy skills, trust in Islamic-compliant platforms, and the extent to which state policy architecture addresses underlying legal and normative constraints. The review also identifies evidentiary gaps, including a near-absence of quasi-experimental or longitudinal designs, and cautions that some observed regional patterns may reflect indexing bias in English-language databases rather than genuine cross-country differences. It contributes an integrated framework linking Islamic theological, developmental, and digital-inclusion literatures, and offers implications for policymakers and practitioners designing gender-responsive digital-inclusion interventions in Muslim-majority contexts.