UN agency’s annual broadband report reveals gender inequalities

The United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union has added something new to its annual report on worldwide broadband penetration: gender inequality.

According to the study, about 41 percent of men (1.5 billion total) will have access to the Internet by the end of 2013, compared to just 37 percent of women (1.3 billion total). That gap could grow to 350 million by the end of 2016 — a sign that women are coming online at a much slower pace than men. This disparity is most pronounced in developing nations, where women trail in Internet usage by 16 percent. For the first time, the State of Broadband report also tracks a new target mandating ‘gender equality in broadband access by the year 2020’, which was set by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, at its March meeting in Mexico City. ITU figures confirm that, worldwide, women are less likely to have access to technology than their male counterparts. While the gap is relatively small in the developed world, it widens enormously as average income levels fall.