The evolution of the digital divide universiteit twente. Establishing a deeper and broader understanding of womens participation in the digital revolution is an important step in bringing about change. The evolution of the digital divide the digital divide turns to inequality of skills and usage jan a. In an unpaid family of workers, women have a traditional role and lack digital skills, e. Young girls who desire a career in technology rarely have support from their families or their schools, and without encouragement they run the risk of losing interest in this field. This is also an issue in developed countries, where access to and affordability of digital technologies is almost equal for both sexes. Digital divide as it affects individuals with disabilities was delineated. The main aim of this paper is to explore the digital divide in a developing country, turkey, and to highlight some approaches to bridge it. Closing the digital gender gap the opportunity ending extreme poverty 1. At the core of the digital revolution is the question of access to digital networks and, in particular, who gets empowered and who is informationally margin alised by the use of these new tools 7. An estimated 250 million more women than men are offline worldwide. Exploring the aspects of digital divide in a developing. How digital is helping close the gender gap at work, accenture 2016.
While the report discusses some of the ways in which women can be empowered, gaps narrowed and hurdles leapfrogged, narrowing the digital gender divide is not about fixing women, or perpetuating existing roles with the aid of technology. Antonio and tuffley 2014 discuss the gender digital divide in developing countries. Digital assistants encompass a range of internetconnected technologies that support users in various ways. Bridging the gender digital divide data sheet the cisco networking academy program is a powerful example of how education and the internet can increase access to the knowledge economy by enabling networkcentric skills. However, the paucity and irregular production of data on these topics, particularly in less developed countries, makes monitoring. Data captures type of project, type of stakeholder and geographical location, among other variables. The first output of this project is the gender digital inclusion map, an interactive visualisation tool which can be consulted to discover initiatives that are working towards bridging the gender digital divide around the world. Digging into data on the gender digital divide world wide.
This study aims at exploring how information and communications technology ict is accessed and used by women and men in rwanda. Addressing the digital gender divide will in and of itself help address the low levels of representation of women in relevant policymaking spaces, however, existing policymakers should also take specific steps, to help ensure that internetrelated policies tackle, rather than ignore or. G20 states have committed themselves to bridging the digital divide the antalya communique. Digital gender divide or technologically empowered women in. According to the human development report 1999, 25 per cent of all countries in the world have penetration levels for fixed telephone lines of less than 1 telephone for every 100 persons. The gender gap is closely linked to the digital divide. The program combines elearning and handson labs to empower individuals and underserved communities with greater. An untapped resource to close the gender digital divide introduction the power of universal, affordable internet access to drive economic growth and social development is underscored by its inclusion as a goal. The gender digital divide is a negative feedback loop wherein gender inequality informs unequal access to and use of ict, and the subsequent growth in ict deepens gender inequality. What can governments and fund operators do to improve the impact of usaffunded initiatives and accelerate efforts to connect women and close the digital divide. The main focus of the present submission is on the impact of the digital divide on women, with additional consideration given to implications for lgbti persons. Gender digital divide the wiley handbook of psychology.
Digital gender divides and eempowerment in the uae. Digital gender divide or technologically empowered women. Bridging the gender digital divide plan international. Bridging the gender digital divide in the arab region. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Since user data is used in decisionmaking, the data collected may not be suitable enough for proper decision making hence leading to poor decisions that may lead to huge consequences. Itu and unucs have been conducting research since may 2016 to map projects that address the gender digital divide.
Exploring the aspects of digital divide in a developing country. Gender inequalities in the arab region impose development costs on the society. This issue brief takes a fresh look at the factors surrounding what has appeared to be a closing of the gender divide among those using the internet and other information and communication technologies icts. To fix the gender gap, fix the digital divide world.
If we double the pace at which women become frequent users of digital technologies, the workplace could reach gender equality by 2040 in developed nations and 2060 in developing nations much earlier than current projections. We began with a survey of nearly 5,000 women and men in 31 countries to gauge their use of digital technologies the devices they have access to, from smartphones to wearables, and how and when they used them. However, with 250 million fewer women online globally than men,i and over 1. Closing the gender divide begins with establishing more inclusive and gender equal digital skills education and training. The english translation and publication in pdf format of the gender digital divide in francophone africa. One of the most pernicious aspects of the global digital divide is the digital gender gap and unfortunately, new data reveals that this digital gender gap is growing wider. Cs, igf and the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and. Understanding icts and their potential for the empowerment of women 2 developing countries. Through close partnership with local awardee teams and community members, wcc has. The global internet user gender gap grew from 11% in 20 to 12% in 2016. Key findings in myanmar, the gender digital divide is systemic, skills are not keeping pace with access, and local actors are key. Our womens rights online research reiterates the finding that extreme gender inequalities exist in internet access, digital skills, and online rights. Specifically, we analyze the factors that contribute to the gender digital divide in rwanda.
The gender digital divide in access to the internet remains largest in the worlds least developed countries at 32. At the core of the digital revolution is the question of access to digital networks and, in particular, who gets empowered and who is informationally marginalised by the use of these new tools 7. Usaf funds being used to close the digital divide and, specifically, the gender digital divide. Women and the web 5 although this is widely acknowledged, women are not yet fully reaping the rewards of internet access and icts more broadly. The digital divide october 8, 2014 page 6 of 6 the national communication association nca advances communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic. Ohchr report on ways to bridge the gender digital divide. Gender digital divides in the mena region while there has been a surge in studies dealing with digital divide in the context of mena countries over the last few years, very few of these studies focus specifically on this divide as it pertains to gender power relations, and a significant number of these studies were limited in. The gender divide and digital technologies, providing an overview of the gender divide in access, uptake and usage of technological tools and the extent of digital financial inclusion worldwide, in particular regarding the use of ict and digital platforms, mobile phones and digital payments by women.
This turns the alleged digital gender divide into an opportunity. The geographical digital divide experienced especially by people on the continent of africa was clearly expounded. There is no reason for women to trail behind in the digital transformation. Digital gender divide, cochaired by the gsma and unesco, launched a report that outlines a set of recommendations for action that stakeholders can take to address the gender gap in internet access and use. According to the human development report 1999, 25 per cent of all countries in the world have penetration levels for fixed telephone lines of less than 1. A harsh reality is made possible thanks to the association for progressive communications apc. This course introduces development practitioners to the barriers in womens access and adoption of digital tools, and the impact of the digital gender divide. Gender gap in access to digital services and technologies 14 1. While it would be very interesting to explore the relationship between the digital divide and gender identity, the paucity of data on the last variable forces us to follow most existing research and equate gender with sex in this article. Top five digital divide solutions digital divide council. The digital divide can be understood as inequalities in four successive types of access.
The cost of inaction is high and in the face of sluggish growth, ageing societies and increasing educational attainment of young women, the economic case for digital gender equality is clear. There is a gender gap in womens access to and use of information communication technologies icts, preventing them and their communities from reaching their potential. Other variables, such as household size and type, age, gender, racial and linguistic. Following a call for submissions by states and by organizations engaged in activities related to the gender digital divide as well as the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the internet available below, ohchr issued the report on ways to bridge the gender digital divide from a human rights perspective as document ahrc359. Consistent with the hangzhou communique, a wider focus from all stakeholders is necessary, including infrastructure capacity, affordable internet access and devices, human capacity and. Oct 31, 2016 one of the most pernicious aspects of the global digital divide is the digital gender gap and unfortunately, new data reveals that this digital gender gap is growing wider. In south africa, women make up 5% of ceos in ict companies as compared to 22. Nov 16, 2018 an issue that broadens the digital divide is participation inequality where users lack the skills to use it. Throughout the world, economic, social and cultural obstacles prevent or limit womens access to, use of, and benefits from icts, a phenomenon referred to as the gender digital divide.
A qualitative analysis of socioeconomic factors article pdf available in telematics and informatics may 2017 with 298 reads how we measure reads. Access and use of digital services and technologies 23 2. The digital divide among households appears to depend primarily on two variables, income and education. It reports a series of studies that the authors conducted over the last 10 years which have examined gender differences in the use of the internet.
The internet gap is largest in africa, while in terms of mobile phone ownership, the gender digital divide is most pronounced in south asia where women are 26% less likely to own a mobile phone than men. Pdf the gender digital divide in developing countries. Bridging the gender gap in internet and broadband access and use 5. When interacting with digital assistants, users are not restricted to a narrow range of input. Wcc focuses on local solutions to close the gender digital divide, with an eye on interventions that could be replicated in other communities. An issue that broadens the digital divide is participation inequality where users lack the skills to use it. The net interaction between social inequality and digital inequality can be understood as a product of two factors. Jun 29, 2018 the gender digital divide is a negative feedback loop wherein gender inequality informs unequal access to and use of ict, and the subsequent growth in ict deepens gender inequality. The digital gender divide becomes even more pronounced when it comes to women as creators of technology. Gender and the digital divide in south africa slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. The gender digital gap is evident in the corporate world too. World leaders, including the g20 and smart africa, have identified the gender digital divide as a major roadblock to womens economic empowerment and participation in the digital economy. Efforts to end the gender digital divide and to achieve gender equality are mutually reinforcing and calls for immediate measures to achieve gender equality in internet users by 2020, especially by significantly enhancing womens and girls education and participation in icts, as users, content creators, employees, entrepreneurs. The chapter focuses on gender differences in types of usage and thus on the secondary gender digital divide.
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