Digital Gender Gap Research Articles

The evolution of digital legal proceedings in African countries: Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa in the focus

The adoption the Digital Transformation Strategy for 2020-2030 by the African Union stands out as a significant milestone in advancing digital agendas and programs across African countries. The integration of digital technologies into the society and economy is acknowledged as a catalyst for fostering innovative, inclusive and sustainable growth. Formulated upon existing ICT initiatives in Africa, this strategy not only holds socio-economic importance for the continent’s development by also play a pivotal role in ensuring digital governance. African countries grapple with challenges such as unemployment, poverty, and digital divide, making the coordinated policy of all states critical for the successful realisization of the digital strategy. Essential components include adequate financing, regional integration, international cooperation and harmonization. The digital transformation of justice holds the potential to address various issues concerning accessibility and efficiency of the judicial method of safeguarding the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and business entities. A notable concern is the lack of trust in the judicial system by over 53% of Africans, emphasizing the need for improvements in legal systems to combat delays, corruption, and hight litigation costs. Moreover, the digital gender gap poses a particular challenge, with only 24% of women in Africa having access to the Internet. Rural women, facing additional societal barriers, encounter difficulties in accessing legal aid, property and economic opportunities. Leveraging digital technologies to enhance justice systems, including through remote court participation and electronic case management, can mitigate these challenges. By facilitating gender-inclusive access to justice, reducing costs and processing time, and enhancing overall judicial efficiency, digital transformation in the realm of justice may pave the way for more equitable legal processes. The theoretical and methodological foundation of the study is rooted in a dialectical approach to understanding social processes and legal phenomena. The objectives of this study also necessitate application of a number of general scientific methods. Methods of analysis and synthesis are employed to examine legal trends in the progression of electronic justice, as well as to compare the evolution of digital justice in Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa. The unique characteristics of the study’s object - civil legal relations emerging during the exrercise of the right to judicial protection in electronic format - also require the use of private law methods.

Analysis of China's Policy on Bridging Urban-rural Digital Divide Based on the Mixed-Scanning Model

The urban-rural digital divide is a new manifestation of regional inequality in the digital age, which has gradually received more and more attention in China in recent years. At present, China’s policies on bridging the urban-rural digital divide fall into a binary structure of some well-developed areas only needing theoretical supplements and others not sufficiently addressed. Therefore, this study introduces the Mixed-Scanning model proposed by an American scholar called A.E.Etzioni, using incrementalism theory and rationalism theory respectively to discuss policies in relevant fields. The incrementalism theory is applied to analyze the policy flaws in digital education and the digital economy. Whereas the rationalism theory is applied to policy analysis of the urban-rural digital gender divide, the combined governance model of "government + market + citizens", and policies related to the "cognitive divide". This paper concludes that STEM education and rural Internet training in digital education, as well as farmers' focus on finding their own digital positions in the era of big data in the digital economy could effectively bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas. At the same time, this paper also draws the conclusion that the government needs to pay attention to the concept and technical barriers to eliminate the urban-rural digital gender gap, and needs to mobilize the participation of citizens to bridge the urban-rural digital divide. Finally, this paper points out that AI technology is an important measure to narrow the digital "cognitive gap" in the future.

Digital Environments of Education 4.0 and complex thinking: Communicative Literacy to close the digital gender gap

Digital Environments of Education 4.0 and complex thinking: Communicative Literacy to close the digital gender gap

The Transformative Power of Information and Communication Technology in Empowering Women in Afghanistan

This study explores ICT's impact on women's empowerment in Afghanistan, aligning with global initiatives and SDGs. Using various statistical methods, it assesses digital platforms, literacy programs, and online courses. Findings show a consensus on ICT's positive influence on financial independence, economic empowerment, and health outcomes. A notable association is found between telemedicine, digital health, and improved women's health. Binomial tests indicate success in bridging the digital gender gap and enhancing awareness. Descriptive statistics reveal positive perceptions of social media, online communities, and digital advocacy in promoting gender equality. In conclusion, this research contributes to the discourse on ICT and women's empowerment, offering insights for policymakers. The study underscores ICT's transformative potential in addressing disparities and fostering positive societal changes in Afghanistan.

Digital Gender Gap, Gender Equality and National Institutional Freedom: A Dynamic Panel Analysis

Digital Gender Gap, Gender Equality and National Institutional Freedom: A Dynamic Panel Analysis

Gender gaps in the impact of the pandemic on the use of ICT in higher education

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has led to a process of digitalisation of higher education that has forced a change in the habits of use of information and communication technologies (ICT) among professors. The literature analyses this impact from different perspectives, but the gender gaps that may have occurred in this regard have not been studied so far. The main purpose is to analyse the gender gap in the self‐concept of digital competence of Latin American professors and the impact that the pandemic has had on the habits of use of ICT among them. For this purpose, this paper conducts quantitative research. A questionnaire designed by the authors has been answered by a sample of 1062 professors, and the responses have been statistically analysed. The results prove that the self‐concept of digital competence influences males more than females in terms of their assessment of the didactic use of ICT. The pandemic has caused the frequencies of ICT use in different teaching activities to homogenise. Females have increased their use of ICT more than males—a certain correction of the digital gender gap occurs in the region after the pandemic, within faculty. The use of ICT among faculty has increased after the pandemic more among females than males, but insufficient digital competence hinders full digitalisation in both cases. It is recommended that universities develop digital training plans aimed at facilitating an egalitarian process of ICT integration.

Adolescents' digital career aspirations: Evidence for gendered pathways in a digital future.

Computers and technology are still perceived as a male domain. As a result of this "digital gender gap" boys aspire careers in the information and communication technology (ICT) branches much more than girls. Guided by the situated expectancy-value theory of motivated behavioral choices, the present study aims to shed light on the predictors of digital career aspirations. Self-report questionnaires were completed by 1018 Austrian adolescents (52.3% girls; 72% non-immigrants; Mage = 13.55, SDage = 0.88) attending 61 Grade 7 and 8 classes located in 17 vocational secondary schools between April and June 2019. Individual and class-level predictors of digital career aspirations were investigated with multilevel modeling. Hierarchical linear models revealed that boys, younger adolescents, and second-generation immigrant adolescents had higher levels of digital career aspirations compared to girls, older adolescents, and non-immigrants. Hours spend with the laptop per day, digital self-efficacy and media appraisal positively predicted digital career aspirations on the individual level, while a higher number of immigrants in the classes and higher levels of teacher discussions about media were significant positive predictors on the class level. The model explained 17% of the individual level and 52% of the class level variance. Cross-level interactions were nonsignificant. These results have major implications for educational practice. Most importantly, educational interventions should enhance girls' digital self-efficacy believes and media appraisal. Furthermore, teachers should increase their discussion about digital media as they foster adolescents' digital career aspirations and might prevent future gender segregation in the ICT sector.

Professional Digital Competence: Definition, Frameworks, Measurement, and Gender Differences: A Systematic Literature Review

In the current context of increasing digitization, professionals need to be digitally competent. In addition, women’s low participation in the technology field indicates the persistence of a digital gender gap in the economic and social spheres. A key aspect to help reducing digital inequality is the role that the digital competence (DC) plays in the professional development of women, allowing them to enter to a job market still coped by men. The current systematic literature review, following the PRISMA protocol, analyzes the existing definitions of professional DC, the frameworks used to develop it at the workplace, and the gender differences observed. Four main ideas emerge from the review of the 41 selected articles: (1) the need of an enabling professional DC definition to help understand how it operates specifically in professional environments; (2) the expanding role of the DigComp framework to carry out initiatives for assessing, training, developing, advising, or certifying digital competence in professional environments; (3) the identification of seven key dimensions of professional DC; and (4) the need of future studies that go further in the measurement of women’s professional DC, as a response of the lack of data about gender differences in this field. Although the limitations of a systematic literature review, such as publications and database bias, these results are aimed at fostering a shared definition and framework of professional DC that standardizes the measurement and development of this competence, allowing workers, and women in particular, to adapt to the digital transformation, assuring equal access to qualified jobs.

Not a Toy for Boys Only

Digital transformation contains the promise of social inclusion and progress, but current data reveal lingering social inequalities. This paper looks descriptively into relevant reports and data with the aim to identify the size of the digital gender gap, the main barriers to bridging it, the factors causing it, and reasons why we should strive to achieve gender balance in ICT. The paper also provides a short overview of some initiatives encouraging inclusion of women in ICT. The main objective of the paper is to provide qualitative insights into gender-related challenges in ICT companies in Croatia based on semi-structured snowball sampled key informant interviews with six women who are top professionals working in ICT companies in Croatia and who were initiators of various events to promote inclusion of women in ICT. The approach taken here assumes that qualitative research can address social problems in powerful and meaningful ways when focusing on practitioners rather than only policymakers. The results reveal positive trends with existing role models and more aware younger generations, but also many socio-cultural factors hindering full capacity development not only of women but even more so of men and the entire society.

Contemporary Amelioration of Educational Parlance towards Exclusion and Disparity: “Digital Village”

Education is an institution that is merely to bridge the disparity between exclusions and marginalization towards the polymers of ameliorating the digital Village. The offset and onset concept of adoption of the digital learning rather online learning in this contemporary society, which is suffering from the challenges of various social balance has divided socioeconomic groups according to certain levels of efficacy. There are initiatives by the government to compensate this disparity, but the compensation of adopted learning solutions are creating a technological gap, a progressive gap, a fundamental creation of utilization of a leveraged educational access towards the unequal distribution of quality, prevailing in the society. The costs of digitization is not merely economical, rather its social, its cultural, and it's a barrier towards the part of access to the commonality. Understanding the ground reality, education became a prerequisite of ‘digital village’, that approaches to “technological fix” for extraordinary parlance that provokes contemporary inequalities towards marginal and exclusionary dimensions of various groups and communities prevailing in the society. We can't forbid the fact of gender sustainability, which is inclusive towards socioeconomic access lagging behind the necessary increasing digitalized interconnection. accentuated with the transformation that unfolds the growth of individuals rooting out the bias of gender. In this paper, we will talk about economies that enables the use of technology to create a gender gap, to create accessing gap and benefiting the margins of digital revelation. The important wage differences between the skilled men and women characterizes the digital intensive which is a bottle of leads of the age group helping amelioration of mitigating the divide. As a caring responsibilities to upskill and retrain the rapid evolution which provokes marginalization but mitigates inequality includes the time frame required for the analytical paper to be more substantive. We are bound to the fact that we make locally circumvolant and distributive swords to the prioritized developed entitlements. Estimating the cost of downtrodden marginal equity, we can see the dropouts levels of the rural area from the education, we can see the baits to keep the girls life alive and make them literate as a strategy rather the parlance of welfare. To identify the existing violence of evidences relevant for the digital gender gap outlining the possible actions of various policy making this multi-faceted approach of articulation will definitely analyse the importance of Education, in the curriculum design and its implication with the importance of intervention to bridge the literacy gap, to average the redesigning of educational training curriculum and also the chapters in the paper will focus upon quantitative and qualitative terms to provide the issues of contemporary society relating to the biggest share of subscribers to the affordable availability of digital village.

Digital Gender Gap in the Second Half of Life is Declining: Changes in Gendered Internet Use Between 2014 and 2021 in Germany.

The main purpose of the study has been to examine changes in Internet use among men and women in three age groups (mid-life, early old age, and advanced old age) between 2014 and 2021. We tested two hypotheses: The complementary hypothesis posits that online activities reproduce gender differences in offline activities. The compensatory hypothesis posits that women are catching up over time in male-typed activities as Internet access approaches saturation for both genders. We used representative, longitudinal data from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS) collected in 2014, 2017, 2020, and 2021 (n=21,505, age rage 46-90 years). We ran logistic regressions on Internet access and Internet use for four differently gender-typed activities: social contact (female-typed), shopping (gender neutral), entertainment (male-typed), and banking (male-typed). Between 2014 and 2021, women drew level with men in Internet access. Gender differences in all four forms of Internet use declined considerably between 2014 and 2021. Women overtook men in using the Internet for social contact. In older age groups, men held the lead regarding online banking. During the COVID-19 crisis, women caught up to men in Internet use, especially for entertainment. Overall time trends support the complementary hypothesis. By contrast, the finding that women have been catching up in in some male-typed online activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, supports the compensatory hypothesis.

Tools at the Service of Public Administrations to Fight Digital Gender Inequalities

This article seeks to highlight how the emergence of the information society and, with it, the New Information and Communication Technologies, despite their benefits, have also brought with them important challenges in the fight against gender discrimination. Moreover, after their consolidation, we can speak of a new digital gender gap that has certainly been intense in rural environments, which are particularly disadvantaged in the implementation of virtual reality. For this reason, mechanisms are established to fight against this new form of discrimination, which should be articulated primarily by the Public Administrations as guarantors of equality among all citizens and the fight for the satisfaction of the general interest, which should only result in the well-being of all. Consequently, the paper begins with a brief introduction that highlights the current context and then goes on to highlight the regulatory guidelines for achieving gender equality in the field of the information society, as well as some relevant initiatives carried out by public bodies, concluding with possible measures to be adopted by the Administrations in favour of gender equality in the digital environment, in which, together with the legal provisions, several public initiatives in favour of the integration of women in the digital environment will also be taken into consideration, trying to reduce digital gender gaps, highlighting, in this respect, the IV Plan for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men 2003-2006 or, of course, the most recent and current, III Strategic Plan for the Effective Equality of Women and Men 2022-2025.

Analysis of the digital gender gap among undergraduate students in business administration and management degree programs

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo general determinar el nivel de competencia digital del alumnado del Grado de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ADE) de la Universidad de Extremadura (España) e identificar si existe o no, una brecha digital de género. La investigación se ha basado en la aplicación del Cuestionario de Competencias Digitales en Educación Superior (CDES) organizado en base a 5 dimensiones (Alfabetización tecnológica, Acceso y uso de la información, Comunicación y colaboración, Ciudadanía digital y Creatividad e Innovación), estructurado fundamentalmente en base a preguntas de una escala tipo Likert. Para alcanzar el objetivo del estudio se ha seleccionado una muestra de 371 alumnos y alumnas de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales de la Universidad de Extremadura y los datos recogidos en el cuestionario han sido analizados con el programa informático SPSS. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que, el 73% del alumnado posee un nivel alto de competencia digital, distribuidos en un 72,6% de hombres y un 73,5% de mujeres, no encontrando diferencias significativas según el análisis estadístico realizado, por lo que se puede concluir que no se ha encontrado brecha digital de género en nuestro universo de análisis.

Closing the Digital Gender Gap among Foreign University Students: The Challenges Ahead

In today’s world, new and advanced forms of technology are increasingly providing great changes in universities, thus generating new possibilities and impacting pedagogy and learning methodology. Unfortunately, not all students can use these tools in the same way and with the same ability. Not only are there digital gender gaps that limit women from enjoying these learning opportunities, but there are also digital gaps between foreign and natives’ students who have been trained in these technologies in their countries of origin, which impedes the achievement of the sustainable development goals planned for 2030. This study addresses theoretical foundations on the digital gender gap in university studies and provides an econometric analysis, through a simple linear regression, on the existence of a correlation between this digital gender gap and the university study gap by gender. A more specific analysis is also presented on the digital gender gap in the case of foreign students from four groups of countries, according to their income. The results show, on one hand, that differences in the access and use of technologies represent one of the factors that affects the percentage of graduates in higher education by gender; on the other, that there is a highly visible digital divide between countries with high income, compared to low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Problematising the digital gender gap: invoking decoloniality and intersectionality for inclusive policymaking

ABSTRACT The digital economy is seen as the latest phase in the socioeconomic development trajectory. There has been a proliferation of policy documents on ensuring gendered inclusion and addressing the ‘gender gap’ in the digital economy. Particularly in the context of the ‘third world’, there are large volumes of ‘evidence’ reported linking economic welfare through digital inclusion and gender equality. Drawing from capabilities, intersectionality, and decolonial scholarship, we analyse how the problem of the ‘gender gap’ in the ‘digital economy’ is constituted through particular discourses. We employ an approach termed ‘problematisation’, which contends that policies produce and articulate ‘problems’ in specific ways rather than solve pre-ordained ‘problems’. We take ‘problem’ and ‘solution’ articulations within the most recent reports by multilateral governance bodies, including the World Bank, UN Women, and the World Economic Forum (WEF), among others. Our findings indicate that digital gender gap policies are formulated through interlinking assumptions of the capabilities approach with neoliberal rationality. Accordingly, the ‘gender gap’ is produced as a problem of rights and economic development to be solved through neoliberal ‘empowerment’ and ‘entrepreneurship’. In an attempt to produce universal cross-cultural frameworks, these policy documents ignore the intersectionality of gendered power relations and reproduce colonial frameworks of development, modernity, and progress. The latter is accomplished through the technologies of statistical scientificity (generalised causality) and temporality (‘developed versus developing’ discourses of modernity). We, therefore, argue that developmental policymaking, particularly the capabilities approach, must incorporate intersectionality and decoloniality to be effective, inclusive, and unsettle colonial universalisation.

DOES WOMEN'S TECHNO-EDUCATION IMPACT THE AGRI-FOOD SUSTAINABILITY?

Women contribute decisively to the economy and have an important participation in agricultural exploitation in the world, providing their labor. But if they had better access to technology and training in a more equitable way, they could contribute much more. In effect, the rapid technological changes that have occurred in the sector pose an even greater challenge to achieve equalizing the role of women to that of men in the agri-food sector. The limitation of the female gender to training and empowerment prevents them from taking advantage of the technology that are contributing to the achievement of a world free of hunger and malnutrition, which is one of the sustainable development goals (SDG). Therefore, this work analyzes the world situation in terms of training and gender gaps to see if these elements affect the achievement of four of the sustainable development goals (SDG 2, 4, 5 10) in 87 countries. The results of the multiple linear regression show the existence of a positive relationship between these elements is demonstrated. Then, as a real example, Spain is chosen as a country reference and analyzed in terms of training by gender, digital gender gap and labor gap. Finally, some advice and recommendations that allow the achievement of the inclusion of women in the improvement of the countries are suggested.

Closing The Digital Gender Gap In Indonesia Through The Roles And Initiatives Of Civil Society Organizations

The digital gender gap is still a big, unseen problem in Indonesia. The government alone will not be able to close this gap, and it needs support from the private sector and the role of civil society. This study aims to explore and determine Civil Society Organizations’ (CSOs) role in closing the digital gender gap in Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach, this research collected data and information through interviews and focus group discussions with CSO representatives who have long been advocating for various vulnerable groups of women in Indonesia. Multiple literatures and reports related to the digital gender divide were also reviewed. An important finding in this study is the description and exploration of the various roles of CSOs in digital assistance to women and vulnerable groups through a wide range of programs such as (1) advocating for women’s rights, (2) promoting digital literacy, (3) fulfilling the Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health, (4) protecting women victims of violence, (5) public policy oversight, (6) encouraging women’s public/political participation, (7) securing recognition of marginalized groups, (8) women’s economic empowerment, and (9) environmental sustainability campaigns. The results of this research indicate that CSOs have directly or indirectly contributed to increasing the capacity of individual women and groups they engage with. The various digital mentoring roles performed by CSOs have helped women and other vulnerable groups to become more confident, thereby increasing their participation in the public sphere, mainly through the use of ICT/the internet.

Digital Gender Divide and Convergence in the European Union Countries

AbstractThe aim of this study is to examine the digital gender divide in the European Union (EU) countries by applying two widely used indicators: percentage of the population who has used the Internet in the last 3 months (ICT-USE indicator) and percentage of the population who has made an online purchase in the last 3 months (ICT-PURCHASE indicator). With these indicators, the digital gender gaps are shown in absolute and relative terms. In addition, the European convergence beta and sigma, between the years 2007 and 2019, is also analyzed. The results among European countries show that the ICT-USE indicator has a lower dispersion than the ICT-PURCHASE indicator; hence, in general, the digital gender divide or gap is usually lower when ICT-USE is used in comparison with ICT-PURCHASE. The highest values of the digital gender gap in the EU, regardless of the indicator used, are found in Croatia and Italy, reflecting an unfavorable position for women. Ireland is also in this group, but in its case, the results show an unfavorable position for men. Additionally, Cyprus does not register gender differences in either of the two indicators analyzed. Finally, the convergence between European countries is corroborated, both in the indicators analyzed and in the different gender digital gaps built.

The Digital Girls Response to Pandemic: Impacts of in Presence and Online Extracurricular Activities on Girls Future Academic Choices

In the last few years, several initiatives based on extracurricular activities have been organized in many countries around the world, with the aim to reduce the digital gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields. Among them, the Digital Girls summer camp, organized every year since 2014 by two Italian universities with the aim to attract female students to ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) disciplines, represents quite a unique initiative for its characteristics of long-duration (3–4 entire weeks) and complete gratuitousness for the participants. The COVID-19 emergency imposed severe changes to such activities, that had to be modified and carried out in the online mode as a consequence of social distancing. However, on one hand, the general lack of high-quality evaluations of these initiatives hinders the possibility to understand the actual impact of extracurricular activities on the future academic choices of the participants. On the other hand, the availability of data collected over different editions of Digital Girls has allowed us to analyze the summer camp impact and to evaluate the pros and cons of in-presence and online activities. The main contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we present an overview of existing experiences, at the national (Italian) and international levels, to increase female participation in integrated STEM and ICT fields. Second, we analyze how summer camp participation can influence girls’ future academic choices, with specific attention to ICT-related disciplines. In particular, the collection of a significant amount of data through anonymous surveys conducted before and after the camp activities over the two editions allowed us to evidence the different impacts of in-presence and online extracurricular activities.

The Digital Gender Gap in Teacher Education: The TPACK Framework for the 21st Century.

The main goal of this research is to explore whether there are any differences by gender regarding the Digital Competence of Teachers (DCT), both in-training and in-service. Simultaneously, the specific goals of the research are to analyse which are the methodologies, including technological, that are being implemented in university classrooms and to evaluate possible new interventions to reduce the digital gender gap. This study is exploratory and descriptive. It relies upon three instruments that have been validated by experts: a questionnaire to collect teachers’ in-training perception, a second questionnaire to show in-service teachers’ perception regarding their knowledge of technologies, and a rubric to analyse in-service teachers’ self-perception regarding methodologies that employ technology. Over three academic years, data were collected from a sample of 914 trainee teachers and 194 professors from several Spanish universities. The results show that, concerning the teaching task, compared to men, the female participants have a very poor self-perception in terms of their Digital Teaching Competence, as well as a lower predisposition towards technologies. We conclude by emphasising the need to transform teaching methodologies in initial teacher education by means of the correct inclusion of ICT tools.