The Digital Gender Divide: Women in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Digital Era CONTEXT From 2018 to 2022, household access to home internet in Latin likely to receive digital tech training, feel confident in their skills, America and the Caribbean (LAC) increased from 50.7 to 68.4 or work in the digital sector. Additionally, women in LAC express percent, with higher access rates in urban areas (ITU, 2023). greater concerns about online privacy, security, reliability of In most countries of LAC, there are pronounced disparities in information, scams, and harmful content exposure. In addition, access to the internet between poor and non-poor households women face greater exposure to automation compared to men. (World Bank, 2024). There are notable gender disparities too. And in countries with significant gender digital divides, women Men generally have better access to the internet than women, employed in positions conducive to artificial intelligence may but in some countries a higher percentage of women accesses encounter barriers to effectively utilizing this technology (Gmyrek the internet (Figure 1). The gender gap favoring women et al., 2024). (expressed in percentage points) is particularly significant in This digital gender divide has an economic impact on households the Dominican Republic. Similarly, a noticeable gap in favor of and society. Evidence from various regions indicates that women’s internet usage can be seen in Nicaragua, Paraguay, digital access enhances women’s labor market opportunities. and Uruguay (Figure 2). For example, Viollaz and Winkler (2021) found that in Jordan, Despite progress, various individual and societal factors still a one percentage point increase in internet access results in a hinder women’s participation in the online world (IDB, 2022; 0.7 percentage point rise in women’s labor force participation. Alliance for Affordable Internet, 2021; World Bank, 2021). In Tanzania, high-skilled women in areas with mobile internet These include household responsibilities, wage gaps, and coverage transitioned from self-employed farm work to non- unaffordable telecom services and devices. Women are less farm employment (Bahia et al., 2023). In Mexico, computer 1 The Digital Gender Divide: Women in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Digital Era Figure 1: Men have better access to the internet than women in most, but not all of the countries in the LAC region. Panel B. Difference in women's and men's Panel A. Difference in women's v. men's use of the internet (percentage points) access to the internet (percentage points) 6 6 4 4 2 2 0 0 -2 -2 -4 -4 -6 -6 -8 -8 -10 -10 -12 -12 -14 Costa Rica (M 86%, F 88%) Brazil (M 87%, F, 87%) Trinidad and Tobago (M 76%, F 76%) Venezuela (M 72%, F 70%) Bolivia (M 74%, F 70%) Bolivia (M 82%, F 82%) Brazil (M 86%, F 82%) Venezuela (M 83%, F 78%) Chile (M 86%, F 80%) Dominican (M 85%, F 80%) Panama (M 73%, F 75%) Argentina (M 88%, F 90%) Haiti (M 32%, F 33%) Chile (M 86%, F 87%) Nicaragua (M 65%, F 61%) Ecuador (M 86%, F 81%) Jamaica (M 76%, F 71%) Mexico (M 75%, F 70%) Guatemala (M 72%, F 61%) Paraguay (M 69%, F 50%) Panama (M 61%, F 63%) Dominican (M 75%, F 76%) Costa Rica (M 81%, F 82%) Colombia (M 77%, F 76%) Jamaica (M 75%, F 74%) Argentina (M 90%, F 83%) Colombia (M 73%, F 73%) Uruguay (M 92%, F 91%) Paraguay (M 79%, F 77%) El Salvador (M 78%, F 76%) Peru (M 74%, F 66%) Nicaragua (M 46%, F 50%) Uruguay (M 85%, F 88%) El Salvador (M 71%, F 64%) Ecuador (M 86%, F 77%) Peru (M 77%, F 67%) Mexico (M 85%, F 73%) Source: Gallup Analytics Note: Figures are based on the latest available years ranging between 2017-2024. Internet usage includes social media, in past 30 days on any device. access enabled telework and increased women’s labor force US$126 billion in 32 low and lower-middle income countries participation during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among (LLMICs). Closing the gender gap in mobile internet usage in college-educated women (Inchauste and Siravegna, 2024). The low- and middle-income countries could stimulate economic macroeconomic implications are significant. For instance, the growth, potentially adding $700 billion to global GDP, according Alliance for Affordable Internet (2021) estimated that in 2020, to GSMA (2019) the exclusion of women led to a GDP loss of approximately EVIDENCE OF WHAT WORKS The World Bank Digital Development Global Practice launched a locations predominantly frequented by women, ensuring multi-pillar approach to reduce the digital gender gap. Promising convenient operating hours, and providing adequate areas of intervention include: female staff. Furthermore, women’s access to devices and the internet can be facilitated by encouraging private • Expanding the digital infrastructure, encompassing Mobile Network Operators and retail sellers to implement physical infrastructure, affordability of data and internet- installment plans for devices and adopt affordable enabled devices, and addressing restrictive social pricing models, such as pay-as-you-go schemes based norms. Notable interventions involve extending coverage on actual consumption rather than upfront payments. to public access community centers or libraries in 2 The Digital Gender Divide: Women in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Digital Era • Improving access to digital infrastructure and financial language instruction in primary schools. Each participating services can empower low-income women to save, school received basic computer lab infrastructure and four borrow, make payments, and protect against economic computers with software tailored to support personalized shocks. This can be done by increasing access to learning in language and mathematics. The program positively national IDs, direct payments to accounts in their names, impacted mathematics test scores. In Ecuador, a randomized and ensuring sufficient distribution networks like banks control trial evaluated the impact of a Digital Personalized and ATMs with female employees, or supporting mobile Learning Software for mathematics remediation on first- money access. year technical and technological higher education students. The software significantly reduced the likelihood of course • Empowering women entrepreneurs in ICT involves repetition, especially among male students, and greatly improved improving access to digital finance and grants, standardized test scores in mathematics for both genders. The offering business training and mentoring, and creating notable decrease in course repetition for males may be due to opportunities through procurement for women-owned their higher enrollment in STEM disciplines. businesses. In Argentina and Colombia, a randomized control trial of a high- • Developing digital skills for women through STEM quality, intensive, part-time computer coding bootcamp was studies and digital literacy training on basic digital and designed for women to improve their skills and employment mobile tasks. The training can address social norms outcomes. Applicants admitted to the coding course received a by employing female instructors and ensuring timing scholarship that covered most of the tuition costs. The results does not conflict with care responsibilities for women indicate that the program increased participants’ coding skills attending the sessions. Training priorities include and their probability of obtaining a job in technology. Technology privacy, online safety, and encryption mechanisms to jobs are more likely to offer flexible hours and work-from-home help prepare women against online risks (e.g., cyber arrangements, as well as generate higher job satisfaction violence). compared to other jobs. Additionally, the study compares the • Including a gender perspective in the ICT regulatory employment situation of the participants before and during the and policy framework to use ICT as a tool for ensuring first months of the COVID-19 outbreak, finding that the program non-discrimination, inclusiveness, privacy, and data increased their resilience to a downturn in the labor market. protection. Actions could include setting measurable Digital training increases women’s access to information, boosts targets for inclusive access, digital livelihood their financial literacy, and improves micro-entrepreneurs’ opportunities for women, employment, and enrollment in access to markets and revenues. STEM education. Other methods might involve consulting with and involving local communities and experts in the In Colombia, a randomized evaluation examined a tablet-based policy development process, and enhancing legislation financial education program with mostly female recipients of for online safety and combating cybercrimes. a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program. The intervention led to notable improvements in financial knowledge, attitudes, While there is limited rigorous evidence of interventions aimed practices, and financial performance. These effects were at closing the digital gender gap tested in LAC, the following are particularly pronounced among poorer, less educated, and more examples of empirically tested studies in this area: rural populations, who showed increased financial health more Digital financial services enhance women’s saving and spending than two years later. Participants were also more likely to set decisions. savings goals and reported more informal savings. Yet, the impact on formal financial inclusion after 2-years was limited, In Mexico, a quasi-experimental study evaluated the electronic suggesting the possible benefits of combining supply-side payment of the Oportunidades conditional cash transfer solutions with financial education. program (which is no longer operational) into bank accounts. The intervention included opening free bank accounts for In Guatemala, the World Bank’s pilot project DIGITAGRO enabled beneficiaries in non-banking institutions, reducing travel distance small-holder women to join agri-food markets through digital and costs. Consequently, both men and women decreased solutions, linking them with the National School Feeding Program informal saving practices, received remittances more often, and (SFP) that buys food from local farmers. In a randomized used their savings to manage shocks instead of taking loans or trial, a digital campaign encouraged women agri-preneurs to cutting consumption. participate, providing product, price, and contact information via video and SMS reminders. The campaign improved rural Digital training enhances students’ achievements and women’s women’s familiarity with the SFP, increased their likelihood of employment opportunities. selling products, raised knowledge on registering as providers In Ecuador, a randomized experiment assessed the Más by 21%, increased animal product sales by 12%, and boosted Tecnología program, which offers computer-aided math and prices received by 31.5%. 3 The Digital Gender Divide: Women in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Digital Era HOW ARE WBG PROJECTS ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES? Through its support to country operations and in line with the while also tackling the high prevalence of gender-based promising approaches identified, the WBG is working to address violence (GBV). Currently, only 32 percent of Brazilian the digital gender gap in the region. women use the internet for professional or productive purposes, compared to 44 percent of men. To narrow this • In Argentina, the Strengthening Data Infrastructure to gap, the project will offer women digital skills training Close the Digital Gap project (2023 – to date) aims to and track its impact on their employment-related digital foster women’s inclusion in the increasingly digitalized competencies. Additionally, the project aims to enhance economy. Leveraging on an expansion of broadband Brazil’s GBV helpline Line 180, by integrating it into a new coverage, this operation aims to address gender emergency center equipped with advanced technology. disparities regarding women’s lower likelihood of This upgrade will improve response coordination and internet use as well as women’s underperformance in ensure greater accessibility for survivors. STEM fields. Broadband expansion is expected to reach 175,000 women. In addition, the project will offer training • In Mexico, the Inclusive & Sustainable Economic Growth in basic and advanced digital literacy, targeting female DPF (2022) supports legal reforms to bridge the digital students and public sector employees and will monitor financial gender gap. Currently, less women than men how many of the trained women managed to secure new in Mexico report owning a transaction account or employment opportunities. making digital payments. In addition, women report higher levels of distrust and risk perception in the digital • In the Dominican Republic, the Support for the financial ecosystem. To address these inequalities, Implementation of the Public Administration Reform and the Government issued regulations for electronic Modernization Plan (2024 – to date) seeks to increase payment institutions to ensure consumer protection and women’s use of digital government services and develop cybersecurity. These regulations are expected to address gender-sensitive digital services. To achieve both some of the drivers of the financial inclusion gender gap objectives, the project will ensure that administrative and foster a more inclusive digital financial ecosystem. services and delivery channels are tailored to meet the needs of female users. As a key intervention, the • In Haiti, the Haiti Digital Acceleration Project (2021 – to project will establish Service Delivery Innovation Labs, date) promotes increased digital access for women and which will encourage women to increase their use of safeguards against online violence. With only 7 percent Government services that are offered digitally, and of Haitian women and girls having access to the internet, facilitate female users’ interaction with  allow public the project aims to expand accessibility and enhance officials to collaborate with female users to streamline women’s acquisition of advanced technical training. service processes Participants will complete an intensive tech- and soft- skills training with a focus on artificial intelligence, • In Brazil, the Espírito Santo Digital Acceleration Project blockchain, and coding. 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