Digital innovation and women's entrepreneurship: Integrating fragmented literature through a stage-contingent lens

Women's entrepreneurship is a significant driver of innovation and economic growth; however, research on digital innovation in this context remains fragmented across disciplines and lacks an integrative theoretical foundation. This systematic literature review addresses these deficiencies by analysing how the antecedents, processes, and outcomes of digital innovation vary across three business development stages: new ventures, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and corporations. A total of 163 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2024 were analysed, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines and utilizing data from Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost. The Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) framework was employed as a multiplicative analytical model, extended to incorporate stage-contingent interactions and platform ecosystem dynamics. The findings indicate that binding constraints shift systematically across business development stages. In new ventures, Opportunity constraints are predominant, as access to funding, platforms, and networks determines the innovation potential. In SMEs, Ability constraints become salient, with leadership capabilities and digital skills limiting the success of scaling. In corporations, Motivation emerges as the primary constraint, with governance structures and strategic commitment influencing innovation outcomes. Digital innovation functions as a critical mediator linking gender-specific resources to venture performance, while platform governance, supply chain integration, and emerging generative AI capabilities reshape these relationships. This review offers five primary contributions: an integrated stage-contingent theoretical model that demonstrates context-dependent gender effects; an extension of AMO theory with explicit classification rules; integration of platform ecosystem and emerging technology perspectives; a reconceptualization of regulation as an enabler rather than a constraint; and evidence-based, stage-specific policy recommendations with documented trade-offs. In addition, nine critical research priorities are identified from synthesis gaps, providing direction for future scholarship and policy development.