What is the gender digital divide index?

As the world becomes increasingly digital, visibility into the digital gender gap is crucial. Every year, the data show a persistent gender divide in access to the information and communication technologies (ICTs) that promote social and economic growth.

The Gender Digital Divide Index (GDDI) is a pilot benchmarking tool that measures a country’s progress in narrowing gender divides in digital development. The GDDI takes a theory of change approach that evaluates countries’ foundations, enablers, and impacts across thirty indicators that include quantitative and custom qualitative data. We created and used the GDDI tool to conduct a pilot study that compares gender digital divides among twenty countries with different income levels across the world.

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About the GDDI

What is
the gender digital divide?

The gender digital divide is the gap between men’s and women’s ability to access and use the Internet and digital technologies and contribute to and benefit from their development. It is the set of biases, barriers and constraints that prevent women and girls from fully adopting and using digital technologies in their lives.

What is
the Gender Digital Divide Index (GDDI)?

The GDDI measures the gender gap in use and development of information and communications technologies (ICTs) across three pillars: starting point, inputs, and outputs. Starting point measures where a country is in terms of overall infrastructure, affordability, and readiness. Inputs measure government policies and programs to reduce the gender digital divide. Outputs measure the outcomes.

Why is
the Index important?

The GDDI provides a snapshot in time of the current state of the gender digital divide and aims to help decision-makers in government, business, civil society, and donor organizations gain a clearer understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in a particular economy.*
* Countries included in the pilot index: Brazil, Chile, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Tajikistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam

Key Findings

1

GDDI is highly correlated with the provision of e-government services

The United Nations e-Government Development Index (EGDI) illustrated the importance of gender inclusive digital development.
2

Leading countries are geographically diverse

The top three countries in gender digital inclusion come from Europe, Asia and Latin America, illustrating there can be different approaches to tackle the challenge.
3

GDDI is correlated to World Bank income classification

Four out of five high-income countries in the study rank at the top of the rankings while all five low-income countries are at the bottom.
4

Data dearths skew the picture

Some countries scored poorly in certain categories because they do not gather and publish sex-disaggregated data and/or do not report data to international agencies.
5

Good foundations are necessary but not sufficient to overcome gender digital divides

ICT Infrastructure and readiness is not enough to level the playing field for gender equality in digital development.
6

Governments and businesses need more women leaders in digital

Nearly all countries’ scores in the Impact category were negatively affected by insufficient female leadership in key government agencies and businesses.
7

Offline gaps in gender equality follow women online

The GDDI countries’ relative rankings broadly followed their relative rankings on other global gender equality indices.

Gender Digital Divide Index Report

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Our Team

Women in Digital Transformation (WinDt Consulting) is a women owned and operated small business, established with the mission to help drive digital transformation in developing countries and support women’s full inclusion in the social and economic digital transitions underway worldwide.

Our team brings decades of combined digital development experience and expertise across a broad range of thematic and technical areas that are crucial to the successful design and implementation of digital development strategies and programs.

In collaboration with local partners and stakeholders, WinDt Consulting works to create innovative, effective, secure and sustainable approaches to bridging the gender digital divide.

Since 2010, we provide strategic advisory and research services in cyber security, e-government, digital divides, measurement of the information society and related topics primarily for the public sector or those interested in it.

Our projects span the globe as we help clients improve their internal effectiveness through strategic reports and assist them in reaching an international audience via white papers, custom research, speaking engagements, and thought leadership distribution.

Our independent analysis is paramount and our list of clients speaks for itself.

Partner benefits

  • Reputation as a thought leader. Position your brand as a champion of gender equality and thought leader in digital development.
  • Influence over the research direction. Input into the scope, framework, and survey questions to ensure that the research aligns with your company information needs, marketing messaging, and business development strategy.
  • Participation in advisory board meetings and webinars. Interact and network on gender and digital-related issues with business executives, government leaders, civil society and academia.
  • Access to research output. Databases, survey results, report, executive summary, and case studies.
  • Engage with customers, partners, and millennial and Gen Z cohorts. Use the DDI research to create your company's own branded articles, infographics, presentations, webinars, videos, and other thought leadership assets.
  • Opportunities for co-marketing and networking with sponsors and partners. Work with DDI sponsors and partners on business development events, webinars, products and distribution.
  • Brand exposure for all program output. Names and logos of sponsors will appear on all GDDI content and marketing material.
  • Exclusivity to lead sponsors. Right to exclude up to five (5) key competitors from the program.


If you are interested in learning more and partnering with us for the GDDI 2024 study, please contact us at gddi@windt.us