Gender and Internet Usage

If appropriate policy measures are taken in the public sector and the corporate world, then some of the sources of gender disparity in Internet adoption and usage can be overcome and the gender related digital divide could be bridged.

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the nature and sources of gender disparity in the adoption and usage of information and communications technologies (ICTs), especially the Internet. Various levels of gender disparity exist in the adoption of the Internet. Moreover, the disparity varies widely across the globe. These gender disparities are functions of factors such as male–female cultural differences; differences in specialization, preferences for jobs, and education; complex interactions among the features of the Internet and gender; and external variables such as sociocultural and economic factors. If appropriate policy measures are taken in the public sector and the corporate world, then some of the sources of gender disparity in Internet adoption and usage can be overcome and the gender related digital divide could be bridged.