In low-income countries, approximately 90% of adolescent girls and young women do not use the internet, while their male counterparts are twice as likely to be online, according to a new UNICEF analysis released on International Day of Girls in ICT.
“Closing the digital divide between females and boys requires more than just internet and technological access. It is about empowering females to become innovators, creators, and leaders, according to Robert Jenkins, UNICEF’s director of education. “If we want to address gender disparities in the labour market, especially in STEM fields, we must begin by helping young people, particularly girls, acquire digital skills.”
Bridging the Digital Divide: Challenges and an Urgent Call for Action for Equitable Digital Skills Development examines the gender digital divide among young people aged 15 to 24 by analysing available data on internet use, mobile phone ownership, and digital skills in predominantly low-, lower-middle-, and a few middle-income economies. Girls are falling behind in an increasingly digital and interconnected world, despite the fact that more gender-disaggregated data is required to better monitor, comprehend, and work towards digital inclusion.
While expanding Internet access is essential, it is insufficient for training in digital skills. For instance, in the majority of countries analysed, the proportion of youth with home Internet access is significantly greater than the proportion of youth with digital abilities.
According to the report, girls have the fewest opportunities to cultivate the skills necessary for 21st-century learning and employment. In 32 countries and territories, females are 35% less likely than their male counterparts to have basic digital skills, such as copying and pasting files or folders, sending emails, and transferring files.
According to the report, the root barriers extend far beyond an absence of Internet access. The results indicate that the educational and familial environments play a significant role in the gender digital divide. Even within the same household, females are significantly less likely than boys to have access to and proficiency with the Internet and digital technologies. Within the 41 countries and territories analysed, households are significantly more likely to provide mobile phones to males than to girls.
Barriers to accessing opportunities for higher education and the labour market, ubiquitous discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes, and concerns regarding online safety may further inhibit the digital inclusion and skill development of girls.
Even when girls have equitable access to acquire foundational reading and maths skills – and perform similarly to or better than their male counterparts – this does not always translate to digital skills, according to the report. Girls need early exposure and access to technology, digital and life skills training, and efforts to combat detrimental gender stereotypes, particularly within families, and online violence in order to overcome the obstacles holding them back.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is urging governments and partners to close the gender gap and ensure that girls have equal opportunities to flourish in the digital world. Included among the recommendations are:
Equally teach females and boys digital skills in and out of school, including through community programmes.
Protect the safety of females online via virtual safe spaces, policies, and education.
Facilitate girls’ access to peer learning, mentoring, internships, and job shadowing opportunities in the digital/STEM realm.
