The digital gender divide
Digital skills and affordable access are important for women to participate equally in all aspects of society.
Supporting women to be digitally included supports our whole society to be more equal, inclusive and better off.
Australian women are more digitally excluded than men. Globally, men are 21% more likely to be online than women. Women and girls not having equal access and participation online as men is being called the ‘digital gender divide’.
This means that Australian women on low incomes, unpaid carers, women with disability, First Nations women and older women are more likely to have lower skills, confidence, and affordable access to the internet.
Women in Australia are more likely than men to report online abuse in their professional and personal lives, which can lead to lower rates of online participation. Women are also less likely to be employed in our growing tech workforce, and more likely to take career breaks to care for family, which can see digital skills development stall and confidence decrease.
What we're doing
Find out more about how we're working to close the digital gender divide.
Impact stories & Insights
-
Time to close Australia’s digital gender divide
Jess Wilson reflects on the impact of the digital divide on women for International Women's Day 2022.
-
Learning digital skills for life
Four stories show how Be Connected is positively impacting Digital Mentors and learners.
-
Mama Fe Gillies – Get Online Week 2021
After discovering the benefits of getting online through local support, Mama Fe is now helping others to get the most of life using the internet.