The World Wide Web (WWW) Foundation has published a research report that provides a global snapshot of the state of digital gender inequality which finds that even where women are closing the gap on basic internet access, they face a multitude of additional barriers to using the internet and fully participating online.
The Foundation stated that there is the urgent need to close the digital gender divide and make sure that women and girls are able to fully participate online without fear for their safety or their rights, pointing out that the internet will continue to work against progress on gender equality until this is done.
Titled Women’s Rights Online: Closing the digital gender gap for a more equal world, the findings of the report is based on focus group discussions, interviews and a survey of almost 10,000 women and men across four countries: Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia and Uganda. It examines these digital gender inequalities, going beyond basic internet access to look also at the quality of access people have, how they use the internet, and additional barriers to access.
Among the key findings of the report are:
- Promising results on basic access: Three of the four countries studied had relatively narrow gender divides in internet access, although in Uganda men remain 43% more likely to be online than women. Data shows that globally men remain 21% more likely to be online, rising to 52% in the least developed countries.
- A hidden digital gender divide: Using meaningful connectivity as a more comprehensive measure of the quality of access – taking into account speeds, data allowance, device type and regular access – gender gaps were far larger. In Colombia, which has a 1% gender gap in basic access, the meaningful connectivity gap is 17%.
- Skills are a barrier to access: A lack of skills emerged as the biggest factor in keeping women offline. 50% of women in rural areas said they didn’t use the internet because they don’t know-how. 45% of women in urban areas said the same.
- Women create less content: When women do get online, they are less likely to create certain types of content. Men are 29% more likely than women to post comments about political, social or economic issues, and 29% more likely to sell or advertise a product or service online.
- Greater concerns over privacy: Across a range of personal data categories, women are more concerned about their privacy than men. Focus group participants shared concerns about having their personal data misused, including in relation to online harassment and abuse.
- Less trust in online companies. Women were also more skeptical about tech companies using their data responsibly. 54% of female respondents said they would not allow companies to use any of their data, compared with 47% of men.
The Foundation noted that: “Digital technologies will not automatically empower marginalised people and break traditional power structures without long term investment and commitment to overcome existing inequalities online.”
The report highlights key areas, with specific steps, that governments and companies must focus on to enable a truly gender-inclusive digital world and these include:
Collect and publish gender data in the technology sector
- Adopt Meaningful Connectivity as the target for internet use and tackle the gender gap
- Promote digital skills and ICT education for women and girls
- Support women’s participation in technology development, local content creation and ICT innovation
- Safeguard the online privacy of women and girls
To download and read the report, please click Women’s Rights Online: Closing the digital gender gap for a more equal world.
