Addressing the Gender Divide in Digital Labour

Addressing the Gender Divide in Digital Labour

Gender equality is not only a fundamental right, but it also provides opportunities for economic development. The “demand economy” or the “gig economy” is now intricately intertwined with the traditional economic structure (Van Doorn, 2017). With the transforming world of the internet and digital platforms, new avenues are opening up for women to contribute to the world of digital labour. Through the digital space, women have the opportunity to earn additional income and access new information and knowledge. Moreover, the digital world provides a welcome avenue to bridge the much talked about gap among the genders.

Photo: Both genders contribute immensely to the economy, highlighting the importance of gender equality.

The road ahead to gender equality in digital labour remains difficult. Data from the OECD (2018) illustrates that over three million more men exist in digital labour more than women worldwide. Furthermore, the ICT sector underemployed women, with similar discrimination occurring when comparing the number of women and men who own startups. This damning data confirms the asymmetrical distribution of the male and female genders in digital labour. As the graph by OECD (2018) below displays, when it comes to internet usage among the sexes, women lag:

Figure 2: Internet usage between the genders.

However, while the divide in terms of gender exists in the digital space, acting now can have significant payoffs in the short and long term. This process entails raising awareness, allowing safer and more affordable access to digital tools for both genders, and discrediting gender stereotypes.  While the cost of these policy actions appears to be high,  the benefits and rewards will be much higher, providing new avenues for economic growth and also enhancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

References

Van Doorn, N. (2017). Platform labour: on the gendered and racialised exploitation of low-          income service work in the ‘on-demand’ economy. Information, Communication &             Society, 20(6), 898-914.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2018). Bridging the           digital gender divide: include, upskill, innovate.