The mobile gender gap is narrowing for the first time in five years, as reported by GSMA, a global non-profit representing mobile network operators. Their "Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024" reveals a significant increase in women using mobile internet compared to previous years.

According to the report, the gender gap in mobile internet access across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) decreased from 19 percent in 2022 to 15 percent in 2023, returning to pre-pandemic levels. This shift was driven by a rise in mobile internet adoption among women, with 120 million new female users compared to 75 million new male users in LMICs in 2023.

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Rwanda, a member of the Generation Equality Forum, a civil society-centered, global gathering for gender equality, has pledged to use its five-year WEMTECH – an initiative that empowers women in technology and engineering – strategy (2021–2026) to close the gender digital gap. This initiative, led by the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, aims to double the use of digital financial services by women, guarantee 100 percent mobile phone ownership in households headed by women, achieve gender parity in STEM education, and support more young female innovators through local ecosystems.

ALSO READ: More efforts needed to close STEM gender gap at tertiary level – officials

Despite advancements, a 2022 study reveals that 84 percent of women and 90 percent of men had access to a cell phone. In an exclusive conversation with The New Times, Claire Sibthorpe, the Head of Digital Inclusion at GSMA, explored the data-driven forces influencing the future of internet and mobile use.

The excerpts:

Sub-Saharan Africa saw a slight narrowing of the gender gap for the first time in five years. What factors contributed to this positive change?

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where some 200 million women remain unconnected to mobile internet, the mobile gender gap narrowed slightly for the first time in five years from 36 percent in 2022 to 32 percent in 2023. While this is promising progress, this gender gap is still similar to what it was in 2017 (34 percent) highlighting that more attention, action, and investment must be focused to close this gap.

Falling prices and the post-pandemic economic recovery have been likely factors for helping to narrow the gender gap but there are still many barriers preventing men and women from adopting mobile internet. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the top barrier to mobile internet adoption is handset affordability. While this remains a top barrier for both men and women, research shows that issues such as women’s lower rate of employment and the gender pay gap mean handsets are generally less affordable for more women than men.

GSMA analysis estimates that the average cost of an entry-level device stands at 24 percent of women’s monthly income in LMICs, compared with just 13 percent of men’s.

While this year’s report data demonstrates the mobile gender gap is narrowing, which is a step in the right direction, it is not yet clear whether women’s rate of adoption will continue to increase at the same rate or whether the mobile internet gender gap will continue to narrow. A significant gender gap persists, and continued efforts will be essential to ensure women are not left behind in our increasingly digital world.

Could you elaborate on the relevance of women having equal access to mobile devices and the internet as men for those who might not get it?

In LMICs, mobile is the primary – and often only – way that most people access the internet, representing 85 percent of total broadband connections last year.

Mobile devices can empower women and men to be more connected, autonomous, and safer. They can provide access to vital information and services, including healthcare, education, banking, and potential revenue-generating opportunities. Women must be able to access these services at the same rate as men.

From our research, we see that once women start using mobile phones and mobile internet, they unlock benefits that improve their lives. In 2022, we found that across all 12 surveyed countries, the majority of women who use mobile internet believed it had a positive impact on their lives and reported this to a similar extent as men.

In a growing economy like Rwanda, what initiatives or policies could help further narrow the gender gap in mobile and internet access?

The mobile gender gap is driven by a complex set of social, economic, and cultural factors that cannot be addressed by any organization alone. Rather, collaborative action is required from industry, policymakers and regulators, the development community, and other stakeholders to better measure, understand, and address women’s needs and the barriers they face.

To this end, there is a need to ensure a focus on gender equality and digital inclusion for women. Policymakers and others need to prioritise gender equality in digital inclusion strategies. This includes setting specific gender equity targets. Improve the quality and availability of gender-disaggregated data to understand the mobile gender gap and to support tailored interventions. Stakeholders must invest in research to identify and address the specific barriers women face in different contexts.

Stakeholders should design and implement products, services, and interventions that explicitly consider women’s needs and address the barriers they face including those related to affordability, knowledge and skills, relevance, access and safety, and security concerns.

Collaborate and partner with different stakeholders including governments, industry players, non-profits, and international organisations to address the mobile gender gap. Partnerships can help pool resources, share knowledge, and scale successful initiatives.

Does the GSMA foresee a future where the gender gap in mobile access is completely closed? If so, what benefits would this bring to society as a whole?

Addressing the mobile gender gap would provide significant social and commercial benefits to individuals, societies, and economies. Connectivity is vital to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals including those related to health, education, and financial inclusion. What’s more, GSMA analysis estimates that closing the mobile gender gap has the potential to contribute billions to the economies of LMICs and generate an estimated $230 billion in additional revenue for the mobile industry over eight years.

The mobile gender gap is not going to close on its own and greater focus and investment is needed to move the needle and accelerate progress. With over 785 million women in LMICs still not using mobile internet, closing the mobile gender gap will only be possible with concrete action. Imbalances will not be resolved on their own. Targeted, informed action from all stakeholders is needed to close the gender gap.