The Digital Divide

The digital divide is the unequal opportunity to access and make use of computers and the internet. These inequalities can be due to many different factors including racism, sexism, and classism. I found all of the above "isms" to be very interesting within the context of the digital divide and I also discovered that they cannot really be separated from one another. They are all intertwined so deeply that it is almost impossible to contribute one certain aspect of the digital divide to one certain "ism" or vice versa.

The Gender Digital Divide, Women Fall Behind is an article that talks a lot about how women, on a more global scale, are being affected by the gap as a result of the digital divide. In class we really wanted to focus on the digital divide within the United States, however, I think it is useful to look at the happenings in other countries as well. This is especially true when thinking about the number of poor, women of color that reside in other countries. Analyzing the digital divide in other countries is not only useful, but is absolutely necessary when taking a feminist perspective. Women of color, especially in other countries, are so often left out of numerous feminist studies and I for one do not want to proliferate that in any way.


"When we talk about the gender digital divide we are recognizing a fundamental obstacle to development in our countries. Without access to information and knowledge, women, who are the majority of our population are at risk of permanent economic backwardness..." The above article begins by stating that the gender divide within the digital divide is due mainly to a lack of access and information available to women. This lack of access and information can then be contributed to the, often time, low economic status of women. Within this context, women are poorer than men and not just in terms of wealth, but also in terms of information and ideas.

In terms of wealth, whether in the United States or in other countries, women do make less than men. The pay gap between men and women is an issue in and of itself, but it does apply when talking about the digital divide. In an interview with Nadine Moawad (see blog entry for more information) she further drove home the point. She spoke about women from Lebanon and their struggles in gaining internet access. Being that they do not have money to buy a computer, they must find one. The Cybercafes that are available are highly dominated by men, which make them uncomfortable and/or socially unacceptable spaces for women. If women are able/comfortable to gain access to computers, they then have to struggle with the poor infrastructure (slow connection, blocked websites, etc) within their own countries.

How does this all compare to the United States? The Digital Divide: Introduction and Overview slide show has numerous charts to help in this comparison. When comparing computer access between men and women, I believe the U.S. is pretty equal. When comparing computer access on the basis of race, however, there is a drastic gap. I believe that this large gap of access based upon race is, again, due to social class. Women of color not only have discrimination based on sex, but also have it based upon race. This is just one example of the "isms" colliding.

What about women who are in fact gaining access to the internet? The article Influence is Bliss: The Gender Divide of Influence on Twitter explains that women are in the top majority of the social network population. Women are also more likely to be web activists than men. This information, at first, gave me great hope. The popularity of social networks is becoming larger and larger by the day and if women are dominating them then perhaps the gap is closing. The article later explains, however, that in spite of the fact that women represent a greater population, men edge slightly ahead in terms of top influencers. The article defines influence as, "the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself." This means that, even though women are using social networking sites more than men, men are having a greater effect. This must mean, then, that men are getting more exposure online. How can this be? Think about how many feminist websites or blogs that are advertised on any given web page. Not very many, unless of course you are already on a feminist website--a feminist website you probably had to do numerous Google searches to find in the first place. Lack of exposure looks to be the problem in this scenario.

So what can be done? I believe that women and feminists that do have access to the internet should start by raising awareness. How can one do this? Start a Facebook group, post a blog entry, sign an online petition, or tweet about it--promote the sharing of information! There are many things that can be done to help in lessening the gap of the digital divide, but I think the very worst thing one can do is absolutely nothing.