10 Lessons Learnt: Closing the Gender Gap in Internet Access and Use

Insights from the EQUALS Access Coalition

The internet has made communication quicker and easier, information more easily available, businesses more efficient, and education, entertainment and public services more accessible than ever before. According to the ITU, more than half of the world’s population is now connected to the internet. Internet connectivity is not, however, equitable and the gender gap persists. For example, the latest estimates from the ITU suggest that women globally are 12% less likely than men to have internet access. They also highlight that this gap is most pronounced in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), where women are 33% less likely to use the internet and where only one in every seven women uses the internet compared with one in every five men.

EQUALS Access Coalition Partners have taken a leading role in closing the gender gap in access to and use of the internet, and they have learned key lessons along the way. In this report, you will find some invaluable insights to consider when implementing projects that aim to increase women’s access to and use of the internet.