As 2015 sees the developing world having stronger access to the internet than the developed nations, it is especially troubling that the gender gap is wider in the developing countries. There are 200 million fewer women than men online today, with 23% fewer women having access to the internet in developing countries. This gender gap not only represents women’s lack of access to empowering information and opportunities, but also reflects existing inequalities in those regions.
Socially, men have greater public presence in most of the developing regions with women still in the minority when it comes to economic and social individuality. Profoundly patriarchal and deeply misogynist, many of these regions have men as the leaders of the nations and households, having the handle to everything including the internet.
Women are made to think of access to the internet as a luxury or as a space they aren’t allowed to enter due to cultural and social norms. Expanding internet access for women not only boosts the economy at the national level but also helps women get better informed and connected in an easier and, arguably, a safer way. And even today, despite the gender gap in access, we can find strong female voices increasing on the web. In this post, we reflect on an important aspect of human life that has benefited thanks to the internet – sexual education.
Sexual information is scarce or, worse, misinterpreted in most of the developing countries. Access to information is even more difficult in a predominantly Muslim country like Pakistan, where the culture makes any kind of sexual talk a taboo. In that environment, a Canadian-based Pakistani illustrator and blogger is trying to change the game.
Read the full blog post in GenderIT.org .