{"id":5915,"date":"2021-12-14T18:40:53","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T18:40:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/the-growing-impact-of-the-digital-gender-gap\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T12:49:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:49:42","slug":"the-growing-impact-of-the-digital-gender-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/fr\/the-growing-impact-of-the-digital-gender-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"The Growing Impact of the Digital Gender Gap"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The race to adapt to COVID-19 has resulted in a shift to virtual formats for health care training and service provision. This has amplified reliance on digital technologies. What does this mean for women seeking services but lacking the knowledge of and access to these technologies?<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital solutions<\/a> in family planning programs, moving many services to digital formats on mobile phones and other devices (often known as mHealth or digital health). Many successful approaches and adaptations will likely become embedded in family planning implementation, data measurement, and monitoring, even when the pandemic\u2019s hold on our day-to-day lives lessens. While these innovations can help sustain program progress (see Applications of the High Impact Practices in Family Planning during COVID-19<\/a>, 2020: An Adaptation Crash Course<\/a>, this recording from a session at the International Conference on Family Planning<\/a>, et A Pandemic within a Pandemic<\/a>), we cannot forget how these approaches intersect with inequities in global health. The race to adapt to COVID-19, and the resulting shift to virtual formats for health care training and service provision has amplified reliance on digital technologies. What does this mean for women seeking services but lacking access to and knowledge about these technologies? Have we allowed for the digital gender gap to become even more exclusionary? We discussed these questions with a few experts in this field. They shared tips implementers can consider as they adopt digital solutions for family planning in the context of the digital gender gap.<\/p>\n

The Digital Gender Gap<\/h3>\n

We know a digital gender gap<\/a> impacts women\u2019s access and ability to use digital technologies, including smartphones, social media, and the internet. This problem also exacerbates existing inequities, including poverty, education, and geographic access. The digital gender gap is worse for women who have lower levels of education, low income, are older, or are living in rural areas. Across low- and middle-income countries, those in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia face the most significant challenges connecting to digital technology. In South Asia, there is 65% mobile phone ownership, with a 23% gender gap in ownership, leaving up to 203 million women unable to access a mobile phone<\/a> and associated digital services (see the figure below). In addition to gaps in mobile phone ownership, there is also a gap in mobile internet usage. For example, in Bangladesh, there is a 52% gender gap in mobile internet use. This usage gap is 29% in Nigeria and 48% in Uganda (GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report, 2020<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Figure source: Page 15 of GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report (2020). Click for an accessible version.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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A variety of potential factors including social norms and affordability, among others, contribute to the digital gender gap. For generations, social norms have designated men as responsible for technological aspects of daily life, relegating many women to non-technological household roles. Social norms that influence whether a woman receives higher education or can maintain employment outside the home also impact digital technology use.<\/p>\n

In general, social media may not be the most welcoming space for women due to unchecked harassment in online spaces where gender norms and violence are perpetuated. In India, 58% of women report experiences of online harassment, and 40% reduced their device use or deleted accounts as a result as shared in this Gender & Digital Webinar<\/a>. A presenter at this webinar, Kerry Scott, associate faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (JHSPH), reminds us that the cost of maintaining a phone line can be prohibitive. In some cases, women may regularly change their mobile numbers to get cheaper rates, which can lead to disconnection from relevant services and resources.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Relatively lower phone ownership, internet access, and social media presence mean women already have limited options to access and share information as it relates to their health. The problem is only compounded when this barrier intersects with other factors, including:<\/p>\n