Equitable inclusion of women in digital age

This International Women’s Day, we are celebrating DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. ICT and digital literacy are transforming the quality of life and social well-being, powering growth and development of individuals and community. Over 90 per cent of jobs worldwide already have a digital component and most jobs will soon require sophisticated digital skills. Technology however is not equal. The digital divide primarily affects those already disadvantaged segments of the population, with digital exclusion occurring due to gender, age, socioeconomic factors, place of residence (urban/rural), disability and levels of literacy. 

Sparked by the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, CARE Jordan has embarked on a digital transformation of its services. To ensure that we do not exacerbate the digital divide, or the negative impacts that it can be associated with — such as access to services and personal safety — CARE Jordan conducted a gender and inclusion analysis in an effort to assess the different needs of women, men, youth, elderly and people with disabilities (PWDs) and provide recommendations on how to implement gender responsive and inclusive digital programming. The analysis followed a mixed methods approach incorporating both qualitative and quantitative sources of evidence and targeted vulnerable Jordanian and refugee households.

Key findings on access, usage, and control include the following: Reflecting national trends, our quantitative data shows high rates of both ownership and access to mobile phones, with 95 per cent of women said they own a mobile phone, versus 98 per cent of men and 93 per cent of males and 88 per cent of females stated using the mobile phone at least once a day. However, our qualitative findings provide a more nuanced reality on the quality of access with most focus group discussion (FGD) participants — both male and female —agreeing that a woman’s phone is distinct from the phones used by other members of the family. The mother’s phone is given to the children who are studying or others, whilst men have priority over the control and usage of their mobile phone. 

"I don't feel like I own the phone; honestly, my sisters call and ask why I don't answer their calls, but the truth is that I don't have time; I'm always busy, and the phone is always with my kids." A female FGD participant in Zarqa

Social and gendered norms also play a key role in access and digital literacy. The majority of FGD respondents (from both sexes and different locations) stated that females’ access and ownership of mobile phones needs to be controlled and monitored for safety reasons, particularly if they are unmarried. This speaks to other global and national research which cites that digital technology poses as a danger to females, with online harassment by strangers and by people they know, including cyber dating and abuse by intimate partners a common occurrence. The Sisterhood is Global Institute states that cyber violence and harassing remarks are a threat to almost 2.7 million female internet users in Jordan, including one million underage girls. 

"I’m the youngest among my sisters; none of them had phones unless they were married. My older sister attends the same university as me, and she has her own mobile where my family can call us through it." A female FGD participant from Zarqa

However, controlling and monitoring access and usageresults in exacerbating the digital divide and cyber violence and exploitation. Preventing girls and young females from using technology and the Internet is not a solution — equipping people with the critical awareness they need to engage with these tools is. This critical awareness needs to be complemented with ethical thinking which teaches youthto engage with content and other users safely, wisely and responsibly.This formation needs to happen in schools and from an early age so that children and youth are better equipped for this digital age. 

The gender analysis also provided evidence around women being less likely to know how to operate a smartphone, navigate the Internet and use social media compared to men. Boys and girls typically show equal digital competence in primary school, however, by secondary school a gap starts to form which is not necessarily related to skills but rather perceptions of self-efficacy. Because of this factor, and others such as domestic responsibilities, lack of mentorship, expectations around educational achievements and appropriate livelihood streams, female youth grow up participating less in digital technology. Digital skills need to be part of the Government of Jordan’s economic recovery and this has to include the equitable inclusion of women and girls. CARE Jordan is a big advocate for behavior change interventions on restrictive gendered norms, which includes females and males of all generations. We need to work with schools, parents and the tech industry to embrace this inherent bias in technology and work towards more inclusive behaviors. It is therefore important that women and girls occupy this space, which has been created by men, so that it can better reflect our needs, hopes and wishes, as well as a safer online world. 

The writer is senior gender and programme design manager for CARE International in Jordan