The mobile Internet gender gap has narrowed and now 54 per cent of women in low- and middle-income countries use mobile internet, an increase from 44 per cent in 2017, according to a study by industry body GSM Association (GSMA).

The gender gap in mobile internet usage remains substantial, with over 300 million fewer women than men accessing the Internet from a mobile device in low- and middle-income countries. Affordability remains a critical barrier to mobile ownership. At the same time, lower awareness, and lack of literacy and digital skills, are vital factors preventing women’s mobile internet use, the study said.

The underlying gender gap in mobile ownership remains mostly unchanged, and 165 million fewer women than men own a mobile. The research found that mobile offers essential benefits to users. The majority of male and female mobile owners reported that mobile ownership makes them feel safer, better informed and supports them in their day-to-day lives.

“We are seeing important progress in driving equal Internet access for women, but the pace of progress still remains slow. We urge business and government communities to continue prioritising efforts to drive more equal access to mobile technology,” said Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA. “Ensuring digital and financial inclusion for women is critically important, as we know that when women thrive, societies, businesses and economies thrive.”

GSMA also announced the first wave of operators to make or renew their ‘Connected Women Commitment’, launched in 2016 to close the mobile gender gap, through to 2023.

The operators are Grameenphone (Bangladesh), Mobitel (Sri Lanka), MobileMoney (subsidiary of MTN Ghana), Ooredoo Maldives, Orange Finances Mobiles Sénégal (OFMS), Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio) India, Robi Axiata (Bangladesh), Safaricom, Turkcell Turkey and Vodacom Congo.

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