Globally, there are currently 200 million fewer women online than men, said the UN Broadband Commission in its report and warned that the gap could grow to 350 million within the next three years if action is not taken.

The report released today by the Broadband Commission Working Group on Broadband and Gender revealed a ‘significant and pervasive’ ‘tech gap’ in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Around the world, women are coming online later and more slowly than men. Of the world’s 2.8 billion Internet users, 1.3 billion are women, compared with 1.5 billion men, revealed the report.

While the gap between male and female users is relatively small in OECD nations, it widens rapidly in the developing world, where expensive, ‘high status’ ICTs like computers are often reserved for use by men.

"In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the report’s authors estimate that there is only half the number of women connected as men," said the report entitled "Doubling Digital Opportunities: Enhancing the Inclusion of Women & Girls in the Information Society."

The report brings together extensive research from UN agencies, commission members and partners from industry, government and civil society, to create the first comprehensive global snapshot of broadband access by gender.

It was officially launched by Helen Clark, the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), who has led the Working Group since its establishment at the 6th meeting of the Broadband Commission in New York last September.

Worldwide, women are also on average 21 per cent less likely to own a mobile phone – representing a mobile gender gap of 300 million, equating to $13 billion in potential missed revenues for the mobile sector, said the new findings.

“This new report provides an overview of opportunities for advancing women’s empowerment, gender equality and inclusion in an era of rapid technological transformation,” remarked Helen Clark.

“It calls for social and technological inclusion and citizens’ participation, explaining the societal and economic benefits of providing access to broadband and ICTs to women, small entrepreneurs and the most vulnerable populations.

Most importantly, this report shows ways in which we can further advance the sustainable development agenda by promoting the use of new technologies in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment,” she stated.

The report speculates that today’s untapped pool of female users could also represent a market opportunity for device makers, network operators, and software and app developers that might equal or even outstrip the impact of large emerging markets like China or India.
“Promoting women’s access to ICTs – and particularly broadband – should be central to the post-2015 global development agenda,” said Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU secretary-general and co-vice chair of the Broadband Commission.

“The mobile miracle has demonstrated the power of ICTs in driving social and economic growth, but this important new report reveals a worrying ‘gender gap’ in access. We need to make sure that all people – and most crucially today’s younger generation – have equitable access to ICTs. I believe it is in the interest of every government to urgently strive to redress this imbalance,” Touré stated.

Ooredoo chairman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, who is a commissioner for the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development, pledged his support for the report findings.

Commenting on the report, Sheikh Abdullah said: "Ooredoo is leveraging mobile technology to enrich lives, empower women and enhance inclusion, and this report highlights key areas that we all need to address. We believe that women should have equal opportunities to access ICT in order to be able to best advance their lives and the lives of those who depend on them."

"By partnering with leading international organisations, we’ve launched a range of initiatives, including the award-winning Usaha Wanita (Business Women) service for micro-entrepreneurs in Indonesia, and the Almas (Diamond) line in Iraq. Our initiatives have been both commercially successful and have effectively met the needs of women," he stated.

"In our newest market of Myanmar, we are taking our expertise to develop initiatives that will support women’s economic empowerment," he added.

Research highlighted in the report indicates that, in developing countries, every 10 per cent increase in access to broadband translates to a 1.38 per cent growth in GDP. That means that bringing an additional 600 million women and girls online could boost global GDP by as much as $18 billion.

The report also emphasizes the importance of encouraging more girls to pursue ICT careers.

By 2015, it is estimated that 90 per cent of formal employment across all sectors will require ICT skills. Professionals with computer science degrees can expect to earn salaries similar to doctors or lawyers – yet even in developed economies, women now account for fewer than 20 per cent of ICT specialists, the report added.

ITU’s ‘Girls in ICT Day’, established in 2010, aims to raise awareness among school-age girls of the exciting prospects a career in ICT can offer.

This year, over 130 countries held Girls in ICT Day events, supported by partners including Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, ICT Qatar, Microsoft, the European Commission and many more. To help older women get online and take advantage of new technologies, ITU also has a partnership with Telecentre.org which is on track to train one million women in ICT skills by the end of this year.  

The Broadband Commission Working Group on Gender was initially proposed in 2012 by Geena Davis, actor, advocate and ITU’s Special Envoy on Women and Girls.-TradeArabia News Service