Digital connectivity promotes economic empowerment by providing access to information, economic opportunities, financial services, and flexible work options. However, a considerable gender gap in digital connectivity persists in the Global South. Women face barriers such as limited access, device ownership, digital skills, gender stereotypes, and safety concerns.[1] It is essential to understand and address these barriers to foster a more inclusive digital society. Moreover, further research is required to better understand the mechanisms through which digital connectivity interventions can advance women’s economic empowerment. Women’s Economic Empowerment and Digital Connectivity Initiative (WEE-Connect) aims to address these two gaps in empirical knowledge and ultimately guide the development of evidence-based strategies for fostering women’s economic empowerment in the digital era.
WEE-Connect will leverage the framework established by BIGD’s WEE-DiFine Initiative to create a knowledge hub on digital connectivity and gender. Moreover, WEE-Connect intends to deepen and expand WEE-DiFine’s work to establish best case practices with regard to inclusive funding. Specifically, both initiatives aim to influence policies and practices so that Southern researchers and institutions are treated as truly equal partners in the research landscape. Finally, WEE-Connect will establish a scholarly community of practice for researchers exploring the intersection of digital connectivity and gender, which does not exist to date.
Funder: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Regions: South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia
Timeline: 2023-2026
References:
[1] Cooper, J. (2006). The digital divide: The special case of gender. Journal of Computer Assisted
Learning, 22(5), 320-334. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2006.00185.x
Hilbert, M. (2011). Digital gender divide or technologically empowered women in developing countries? A
typical case of lies, damned lies, and statistics. Women’s Studies International Forum, 34(6), 479-489.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2011.07.001
Korupp, S., & Szydlik, M. (2005). Causes and trends of the digital divide. European Sociological Review,
21(4), 409-422. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jci030
OECD. (2015a). The ABC of Gender Equality in Education: Aptitude, Behaviour, Confidence. OECD.
https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264229945-en
OECD. (2018d). Empowering Women in the Digital Age: Where Do We Stand? [Brochure]. OECD.
https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264293216-en.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2018). Bridging the digital gender
divide: Include, upskill, innovate. OECD.
Zahan, I. (2021). Understanding the Digital Gender Divide in Rural Bangladesh: How Wide It Is and Why.
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development. Retrieved from https://bigd.bracu.ac.bd/wp-
content/uploads/2021/04/Policy-Brief_Digital_gender_Divide_BIGD_2021.pdf
Regions: South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia
