EQUALS REPORT
AT A GLANCE
The inaugural report of the EQUALS Research Group lays the foundation for the EQUALS Partnership agenda by surveying the landscape of knowledge on gender equality as it relates to the three EQUALS action areas – Access, Skills, and Leadership.
WHY GENDER EQUALITY MATTERS
"In today’s interconnected society, gender equality and the meaningful participation of women and girls are essential to all sectors, including digital access and skills. Without the full and equal participation of half the population, communities and societies will never reach their potential or achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – our blueprint for stable, resilient societies on a healthy planet. But if we are to devise and implement strategies to get us where we want to be, we must first understand where we are. We know there is a gender digital divide, but we need data and evidence that demonstrate its extent and implications."
- The Secretary-General of the United Nations
The gender digital divide affects millions of women and girls worldwide, limiting their access to technology and resources, their ability to gain critical skills, and their opportunities for leadership in the tech sector. To close the gap, we need solid research into all three facets of the gender digital divide — access, skills and leadership. The EQUALS Research Group provides key insights into the problem, so that we can work together for a solution.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU
ACCESS
More than 3 billion in the world people don't have access to ICTs, from which the majority of those are women and girls.
SKILLS
Women are less likely than men to have advanced digital skills in the majority of reporting countries. Only 35% of women major in STEM subjects at higher education.
LEADERSHIP
Women’s representation remains low across different dimensions of ICT employment, entrepreneurship, and policymaking. Women in ICT tend to be in junior and support rather than managerial roles.
RESEARCH
There is a severe lack of official gender-disaggregated data on most ICT-related topics. Indicators are conceptually unclear, lack an agreed methodology, and are not regularly collected by most countries.