There are many complex root causes to the discrimination that women still face in private and public spheres around the world, curtailing their rights.  While ensuring parity between men and women can ultimately only be achieved through a shift in societal thinking, technology can play an important part in enabling some of the solutions to mitigate challenges that hold women back. For instance, access to mobile phones and services can have a positive impact on women’s lives, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 focusing on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and can also provide economic benefits to the mobile industry and the wider economy.  However, women are being left behind as various barriers as well as social norms keep them from accessing and using mobile technology at the same rate as men.

The GSMA Inclusive Tech Lab aims to dedicate its technical expertise to produce such solutions, particularly in the domain of digital services.  This work stream is dedicated to developing innovative technical assets that can remove some of the barriers faced by girls and women and allowing them to realise their full potential.