Access to ICTs without bias has been a longstanding goal in many fora. There has been multiple sources of evidence that point to the value add access to ICTs bring, increase in livelihoods being one of which is most cited. LIRNEasia’s previous research on Teleuse at the Bottom of the Pyramid, also presented at WSIS in 2013, was among the few quantitative and qualitative studies available from the global South at the time. Participating relatively early on in collecting gender disaggregated data was also cited in recommendations made by the Gender Task Force in keeping with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the time. The recently declared Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also continue to highlight the need for gender equality in terms of access to the Internet. However, very little gender disaggregated data exists.
A recent report on how the Internet could help women out of poverty resonates the same sentiments and calls upon local governments to increase their collection of gender disaggregated data.
By following the guidelines of the ITU Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development governments should place gender equality at the core of their national broadband plans so that they can measure such data against targets. This requires appropriate budget allocations and partnering with local research institutions, such as Research ICT Africa, LIRNEasia and the Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI), to collect data and combine efforts. Donors should consider investing in a global online platform that can collate and present this subnational data in open data formats.
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