"The results of this review clarify that increasing women’s digital literacy depends not just on digital skills training, but on increasing their digital access and use. This is not a simple, linear process, and not just a case of distributing devices and data plans to women. There are several con
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ditions that need to be in place, and they need to be in place in tandem. Creating women-led environments and peer networks, for example, are key ingredients of success. But these approaches can only go so far to drive women’s digital adoption if the digital literacy training fails to use appropriate technology, or does not overcome women’s time constraints. In a way, creating the perfect conditions for success is akin to a jigsaw puzzle: while some parts of the puzzle may be in place, it seems all the puzzle pieces are required to make an effective whole." (Conclusions)
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"This desk review is the first phase of creating gender digital divide tools for USAID Gender Advisors. It provides an overview of the current status of the gender digital divide (with a particular focus on mobile phones and mobile Internet, although these are not the only aspects of the gender digi
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tal divide), including an analysis of why it exists, why closing the gender digital divide matters, and the potential risks for women and girls in using technology. It presents some key recommendations on how to mitigate those risks." (Executive summary)
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"What do we know about the gender digital divide for girls? To date, there is little research on gender differences in digital access for children under the age of 18. These disparities in usage limit women’s access to the full range of opportunities offered by digital. However, the limited data a
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vailable does indicate a similar pattern of lower access and use for girls, as for women. In countries with data, girls aged 15–19 years were less likely than boys to have used the internet in the past 12 months, and they also had lower mobile phone ownership. The greatest disparities were in South Asian countries. For instance, rates of internet use among boys were double those of girls in Nepal, and quadruple those of girls in Pakistan. Phone ownership was almost 30% higher among boys in Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Weekly access to information media was also substantially lower among adolescent girls in Nepal, India, Afghanistan and Timor-Leste. Boys use far more digital platforms and services for a much wider range of activities than girls, and they are more likely to use the internet. Roughly 46% of boys use the internet on their phones, compared to 27% of girls. Another study, by Girl Effect and the Vodafone Foundation, found boys are 1.5 times more likely than girls to own a mobile phone and 1.8 times more likely to own a smartphone. More than half (52%) of girls borrow mobile phones if they want digital access, compared to 28% of boys. As for adult women, this gender gap in access is echoed in digital use overall. As the digitization of economies expands, economic and social growth will increasingly depend upon people’s ability to use technology. While some jobs require very advanced digital skills, most jobs and daily activities need basic digital literacy to engage with a digital economy. Without increased digital adoption and use, girls will have fewer employment opportunities and will face additional barriers to workforce participation." (Pages 6-7)
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