Empowering Urban Women Street Vendors Through the Impact of Digital Payments: An Empirical Investigation in the Megacity of Delhi

This article investigates whether increasing economic status through adopting digital payment capabilities in Delhi fosters economic and financial inclusion among urban women street vendors in Mahila Haat. Digital freedom is a new step forward in technology for everyone. Still, a woman not only balances the social responsibilities of childbearing, caring for her children and family, and struggling with economic issues, health issues, and undernourishment, but can also balance the household job of street vending to increase self-esteem and financial independence. This research work conducted a sampling survey and applied the Kruskal–Wallis H-test with a p-value (0.05) significance level by evaluating 11 variables to investigate the relationship between the digital capabilities and economic independence of street vendors in Mahila Haat (a women’s market where the vendors are all women) in the Red Fort area of New Delhi. UPI systems were created using measurements based on a five-point Likert scale to analyze different levels of satisfaction in clusters of digital capabilities on digital platforms. Further, the ordinary least squares (OLS) method was used to estimate quality of life and social happiness in the context of digital empowerment. Digital payment systems positively influence women’s empowerment. Women vendors can adopt digital payment methods, making them economically independent. The positive relationship between women vendors and customer satisfaction before UPI use and after UPI use is also analyzed. This research will be helpful for both government and non-government organizations to provide financial assistance, informational awareness, skill development training, and advocacy for gender equality to increase women’s empowerment.