Gender Equality: A Mouse Click Away

This post reflects arguments made in a joint background paper published by the Internet Society and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) ahead of the G20 Women’s Group (W20) Summit in Argentina 1-3 October.

In our digital age, Internet literacy has become essential for, if not synonymous with, being employable in many fields. Information and communications technologies (ICTs) fuel business growth and countries’ economic development. They open new channels to communicate across great distances, as well as to organise people, raise awareness and spur activism.

But such promise can deepen existing inequalities offline if these technologies cannot be accessed and enjoyed by all.

Today, many women and girls are getting left behind in digital development. While in low- and middle-income countries, the gap between women’s use and that of men is 26%, in least developed countries (LDCs), women are 33% less likely than men to use the Internet.

In some cases, women simply don’t have access to the Internet, or it’s too expensive. In others, they have limited access with pre-paid services. There are also cultural factors that stop women from using the Internet or even owning a computer or a mobile phone.

This points to deeper issues. Globally, women Continue reading