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The technology gender gap is the unequal access to and use of digital technology by women and men. It also covers differences in affordability, digital skills, online safety, and participation in technology careers and decision-making. Internet-use statistics show one part of the gap—not the whole picture.
What does the technology gender gap mean?
Also called the digital gender divide, the technology gender gap describes disparities between women and men in whether they can access digital technologies, afford them, use them effectively and safely, and take part in shaping the technology sector. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Bank frame the issue around access to and use of digital technologies, while ITU also identifies differences in digital skills and ICT-sector participation.
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There is no single universal figure for the technology gender gap. A statistic is meaningful only when its measure, population, geography, and year are clear. For example, an internet-use gap does not measure whether people can afford a device, have the skills to use it, feel safe online, or enter technology careers.
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Which parts of technology inequality does it include?
- Access: Whether people can connect to the internet and obtain devices such as phones or computers.
- Affordability: Whether devices and connectivity are financially attainable.
- Use: Whether people go online and can use digital services.
- Skills: Whether people have the knowledge to use technology effectively and safely.
- Safety and participation: Whether online environments allow people to take part safely and meaningfully.
- Sector representation: Whether women participate in ICT jobs, leadership, and technical decision-making.
These dimensions are related but distinct. Providing a device may improve access without resolving affordability over time, skills, online safety, or representation in the technology workforce.
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What do current internet-use figures show?
ITU reported that in 2024, 70% of men and 65% of women used the internet globally, a difference of five percentage points. In least developed countries that year, 41% of men and 29% of women used the internet, a twelve-percentage-point difference. These figures measure internet use—not the full range of access, affordability, skills, safety, and sector participation that makes up the technology gender gap. ITU’s 2025 article on gender equality in the digital age gives both figures.
The contrast also shows why a global average can obscure larger disparities in particular groups of countries. Neither figure should be taken as a measure of every country or of differences shaped by factors such as age, disability, income, or rural location.
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Why does the gap exist?
ITU identifies barriers including the cost of devices and connectivity, unequal access to skills and training, underrepresentation in ICT careers and leadership, and social, cultural, and economic constraints. The World Bank also notes that transportation and caregiving can limit participation in some training settings, and includes online safety in its discussion of digital inclusion. These are structural and contextual barriers; the cited organizations do not attribute the gap to inherent differences in ability or interest.
What can help narrow it?
Responses work best when they address the particular barrier rather than treating technology access as a single problem:
- For access and affordability: Make connectivity and suitable devices more affordable and available.
- For skills: Expand digital-skills education and training.
- For safe participation: Support safer online environments so women and girls can participate meaningfully.
- For education and careers: Support girls’ STEM education and women’s participation in ICT careers and leadership.
- For policy decisions: Collect gender-disaggregated data to identify gaps and guide interventions.
The World Bank discusses financing smartphones and low-cost devices as part of the access challenge, but a device alone cannot address skills, safety, or unequal representation. ITU’s Sylvia Poll summarizes several linked barriers: “Gaps in digital skills and affordability of digital devices and the Internet, as well as having access to a safe online environment, continue to hinder the participation of women and girls in today’s digitalized world and in shaping tomorrow’s digital solutions.” Poll’s statement appears in the ITU article.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to interpret a claim about the gender gap
When you see a number described as the technology gender gap, check what it actually measures. Ask whether it refers to internet use, device access, affordability, skills, safety, or employment; which population and geography it covers; and what year the data represents. Without those details, a single number can give a misleading impression of the broader divide.
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