8th March, 15.00-15.50 CET
Digital development offers the opportunity for human rights-based sustainable development. In particular, women in all their diversity and further marginalized groups can use the Internet to develop their potential in education, employment, health, and political agency. However, the gender digital divide, i.e., the existing gap between genders in access, use, and adoption of digital technologies, persists. Today, 374 million women are unconnected, and women are 15% less likely than men to own a smartphone and use mobile Internet. Ultimately, this disparity in access translates into gaps in digital skills, employment, and entrepreneurship in ICT.
This session will discuss the following questions: What is the gender digital divide and what are the barriers hindering women’s equal participation in the digital world? How can we leverage the opportunities of digital development while ensuring that technologies aren’t used as a tool for further gender-based discrimination? What are potential solutions?
After a presentation on the gender digital divide, the #eSkills4Girls project Digital Skills 4 Jobs and Income will provide practical insights into how the project addresses the gender digital divide in South Africa.