Women participation in tech, digital spaces ‘alarmingly low’: PTA

Women’s participation in technology and digital spaces, especially pertaining to economy, remains “alarmingly low” a report by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has revealed.

The report, originally compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and titled “Bridging the Digital Gender Divide”, revealed that approximately 327 million fewer women have access to smartphones and mobile internet globally, as compared to men.

In Pakistan, as access to technology and internet access increases with time, the issue of digital gender divide remains at a concerning level, the report revealed and added that the country ranked among the lowest in terms of gender parity and digital inclusion.

PTA’s report quoted three separate reports, including the Global Gender Gap Report 2024, the Mobile Connectivity Index 2023, and the Inclusive Internet Index. It highlighted “significant gaps in female education, mobile ownership and internet usage, underscoring the need to bridge the digital divide and promote equitable access to technology”.

The report asserted that key challenges faced by women were “limited digital literacy, restricted access to financial services (such as bank accounts), absence of computerized national identity cards (CNIC) for nearly 25 percent of adult women, high costs of devices and broadband, scarcity of local content, safety concerns, and patriarchal controls”.

In Pakistan, out of a total of 60.4 million users of Facebook, 77 percent are men while 24 percent are women. YouTube has 71.7 million users, of which only 28 percent are women. Meanwhile, TikTok has 54.4 million users, which include only 22 percent women. 

Last but not the least, Instagram has 17.3 million users, of which 36 percent are women.

However, the PTA said, it has developed the Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy under the patronage of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications. The strategy is built with the help of Unesco Pakistan and would address “the barriers hindering women’s access to mobile”, setting “forth an accelerated action plan with an implementation roadmap, timelines, and measurable outcomes”.

Notably, the PTA also recently announced the laying down of a major undersea cable that is expected to enhance connection speeds in the country and address longstanding concerns of slow connection speeds and internet outages.