Like the rest of the world, Southeast Asia is undergoing a massive digital transformation. In most ASEAN Member States, internet penetration rate now exceeds 70 per cent, and internet users have surpassed 400 million (Jalli, 2024). Access to internet services in the ASEAN region has reached an average of 79.5 per 100 persons in 2021, double the reach just five years ago (ASEAN, 2022). The digital market in ASEAN has also grown significantly over the past three years, and now contributes 7 per cent to the region's total GDP of 2.8 trillion US dollars (ASEAN and UN Women, 2021).
Technology has become essential in daily life, and digital transformation is shifting every aspect of life, from education, employment to healthcare. Digital transformation also brings opportunities for poverty eradication and welfare. In agriculture, for example, the use of digital technologies helps predict harvests and simplify the long distribution chain of agricultural products from producer to consumer. In turn, it helps to scale up businesses and improve incomes (Purwita, 2024). Digital transformation in financial technology, such as digital banking, online lending, and microfinancing, contributes to financial inclusion in rural areas and benefits lower-income communities. People who do not have access to traditional banks can now access digital financial services to help build financial wealth and capital (Badeeb, 2024).
Despite the rapid growth and opportunities of digital financial technologies, women are still largely unable to benefit from these. While the number of women who own and use mobile internet and smartphones is growing, they are still less likely than men to have access, particularly those who live in rural areas with low literacy and low income (GSMA, 2024). In low and middle-income countries, women are 13 per cent less likely than men to own a smartphone, or in other words, 200 million fewer women than men own a smartphone (GSMA, 2024). Data from the ASEAN Gender Outlook (ASEAN and UN Women, 2021) also showed that men are more likely to be engaged in digital activities such as web searches than women.
Another barrier to rural women accessing and utilising digital technology is the burden of domestic responsibilities. Women are commonly expected to care for their families and do all the housework, leaving them with limited opportunities for personal time. Also, lower-income households usually only have one mobile phone for the whole family, and more often than not, the men use the mobile phone when they go to work.
Low literacy is also a contributing factor to why women are less likely to access and use digital technology than men. The adult literacy rate from the ASEAN Statistical Yearbook 2023 and ASEAN Key Figures 2023 showed that men have a higher literacy rate than women in all ASEAN Member States, except in the Philippines. This literacy gap also affects the development of digital skills, as men are more likely to develop digital literacy and skills due to better literacy and education than women. A study on the gender digital divide by UNICEF (2021) also showed that boys have higher digital skills as they are more likely to engage in a broader range of activities on digital platforms and more likely to use the internet than girls, with only 27 per cent of girls using the internet on their phone compared to 46 per cent of boys.
Given the ubiquity of digital technology, women’s limited access to it will further exclude them from accessing digital services and participating in daily activities such as working, learning, or even accessing information. If this gap in access to technology is not addressed, women will miss out on the advantages of digital technology, which will widen the gender gap.
ASEAN recognises the importance of an inclusive digital environment and has incorporated this in its plans, frameworks and declarations. The ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025 (ASEAN, 2016) mentions “reducing barriers and equitable access for all” and “improved access and use of technology by women and youth of ICTs and financing for livelihood resulting to better employment and income and well-being” as part of its key objectives and strategic measurement to achieve gender equality and inclusivity. The ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 (ASEAN, 2021) outlines ASEAN goals to improve connectivity, including enabling a more digitally inclusive ASEAN, through initiatives that promote digital literacy and inclusive participation and bridging the digital divide. The ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework 2021-2025 (ASEAN, 2021) highlights the importance of mainstreaming gender equality in all initiatives, including empowering women’s participation in the digital economy and promoting gender-responsive policies and initiatives.
Goal 5 on Gender Equality of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) includes technology for women empowerment as one of its targets. Specifically, Target 5.b outlines “Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.” Despite commitments to promote an inclusive digital environment, ASEAN has yet to consider gender aspects in collecting and recording data on digital technology. In the ASEAN Gender Outlook, only few ASEAN Member States have available data on gender comparison in digital activities.
To ensure that digital transformation benefits everyone, ASEAN needs to collect and analyse gender-disaggregated data, such as data that specifically looks at women’s access and use of digital technology. ASEAN needs to measure digital inclusion and identify gender gaps in digital transformation to fully comprehend the progress of digital transformation in the region and establish inclusive policies and initiatives that promote women’s empowerment.
To support technology for women’s empowerment, ASEAN also needs to focus on capacity-building to improve digital skills and literacy for women. Accessing technology will not benefit women if they lack the digital skills to utilise technology for their own good fully. Moreover, there is a need for women to be aware of the risks and dangers of digital technology, as there are a growing number of cases of online crimes that target women, such as sexual abuse and sexual trafficking. Improving digital literacy and knowledge of online safety is essential to protect women and empower them to utilise technology for a better life.
The complete policy brief will be published soon.
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