Call for bridging digital gender gap

Slamming the widest digital gender gap in Pakistan, speakers have urged the authorities to provide digital literacy and internet access to girls and women in urban and rural areas. Panellists at the ’Tabadlab Policy Roundtable’ titled’ Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy on Tuesday discussed ways to enhance the PTA’s Digital Inclusion Strategy, which aims to bridge the gender gap in Pakistan’s digital sphere. Samia Liaquat, Director of the Centre for Gender and Public Health, moderated a roundtable discussion on the GSMA’s Mobile Gender Gap Report. The report revealed that women in Pakistan were 33pc less likely to own a mobile phone and 38pc less likely to use mobile internet than men. She highlighted that inclusive policies and ICT initiatives are crucial to addressing this disparity. The discussion commenced with the general perception that the internet was not suitable for women.