IGF 2024 WS #225 Gender inequality in meaningful access in the Global South

    Organizer 1: Alison Gillwald, 🔒
    Organizer 2: Andrew Partridge, Research ICT Africa
    Organizer 3: Schroeder Zara, 🔒Research ICT Africa
    Organizer 4: Relebohile Mariti, Research ICT Africa
    Organizer 5: Fabio Senne, 🔒

    Speaker 1: Fabio Senne, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
    Speaker 2: Relebohile Mariti, Civil Society, African Group
    Speaker 3: Helani Galpaya, Civil Society, Asia Pacific Group
    Speaker 4: Claire Sibthorpe, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group
    Speaker 5: Esperanza Magpantay, International Organizations

    Moderator

    Fabio Senne, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

    Online Moderator

    Andrew Partridge, Civil Society, African Group

    Rapporteur

    Schroeder Zara, Civil Society, African Group

    Format

    Theater
    Duration (minutes): 90
    Format description: The Theatre layout will allow for optimal viewing of the presentations by a wide audience and the most effective dissemination of the information. It will allow for the key experts for the panel discussion to be situated on the stage as the main focus of the discussions but will also allow for wide audience participation. This will enable a diverse array of perspectives and inputs to ensure a rich discussion on highly pertinent topic for sustainable development. We anticipate a very engaging discussion on what is a very topical and deeply layered topic. As such 90 minutes would be an optimal duration to ensure that we are able to have a discussion of the depth which such an important issue deserves.

    Policy Question(s)

    What are the most binding constraints which hold women back from being able to equally participate in the digital economy? What policy interventions will create a more even playing field where women are as able as men to derive socioeconomic benefits from digital interactions? Which countries have provided evidence of providing an enabling environment for equal participation in the digital economy, and what were the key factors which led to this success?

    What will participants gain from attending this session? In addition to providing the latest demand-side data on digital access and use at the individual level across different regions in the Global South, the session will provide a deeper insight into digital inequalities than is gained from the usual rhetoric on access alone. This will not only provide new knowledge on the state of digitalisation in these regions but will also challenge the conventional manner in which digitalisation progress is currently being assessed and promote a more comprehensive approach which takes cognisance of the multi-dimensional nature of the way in which digital technology assimilates in societies. Through the panel discussion participants will hear from top experts working on policies to promote digital inclusion in the Global South. Participants will therefore witness a rich discussion and have the opportunity to have their own views heard and discussed.

    SDGs

    Description:

    Demand-side data shows that in addition to significant gender digital access gaps existing in most countries in the Global South, once online women face heightened barriers in the ability to use the internet for purposes associated with economic benefits. This session will encompass three presentations using the pockets of data which is available on digital access and use in the Global South. The first presentation will provide evidence from Africa to highlight that although significant progress has been made in terms of access on the continent, it largely remains limited to social media and entertainment, with very little use for online work, professional services, and e-government services. Moreover, the data shows large gender inequalities in these use cases, with women seemingly less able to use the internet for economic gain. The second presentation will use evidence from Brazil to show how there is a need to incorporate a less binary definition of digital access, considering it along a spectrum of how meaningful the connection to the digital world is. This will again apply a gender lens to show that there are significant gender inequalities in the extent to which meaningful use is able to be realised despite the achievement of gender access equality. The third presentation will provide findings from South-East Asia to show how the digitalisation impacts of COVID-19 differed across gender lines and as a result the ways in which women are digitally substituting in the post-pandemic period differs to that of men. The presentations will then lead into a panel discussion featuring key experts on the policy interventions needed to ensure women are equally able to realise the benefits of digitalisation. This will be led by the onsite moderator, with inputs from the audience to allow for the consideration of a diverse range of views and opinions.

    Expected Outcomes

    The session will be used to provide a summary document of the presentations and subsequent discussion. The discussion will be structured in such a way as to culminate in agreement on a set of key actions, tied to specific actors and timelines, which will be used to form an action plan to take forward. It is envisioned that this will result in policy impact allowing greater and more meaningful female participation in the digital economy. This will not only result in female economic empowerment but will also avoid further marginalisation of women through the digital economy which is likely to occur if things continue as they currently are. The outcomes from the session will be used to inform future research by participants, ensuring data collected is able to speak to core issues, that data analysis addresses these issues, and that progress is monitored in line with development needs.

    Hybrid Format: In addition to having an onsite moderator, we will have an online moderator to ensure that online participants are acknowledged and heard. Space will be made for the online audience to pose questions and comments during the panel discussion. We will also have several support staff assigned to monitor an online chat room where online participants can pose questions. Where possible these questions will then be answered in real time, and where relevant and appropriate the online moderator will raise chat room questions in the panel discussion.