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Information Technology for Development

Author ORCID Identifier

Talha Hassan: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-0223

Noor Jehan: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2816-5232

Fahim Nawaz: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2287-0694

Abstract

While the promotion of digital technologies for inclusion and empowerment is often presented as gender-neutral, the persistent feminisation of the digital divide in many patriarchal contexts suggests otherwise. This study analyses the digital divide in Northern Pakistan and asks whether it is gender-neutral or whether patriarchal structures limit women's digital access, use, safety, and outcomes. The present study draws on feminist technology theories to analyse primary survey data from 1,950 respondents in Northern Pakistan collected in 2022-2023. The digital divide is understood as a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing access, skills, usage, safety, and economic participation. Ordinary Least Squares regression models with gender interactions are used to examine whether key digital drivers affect men and women differently. The results indicate that the digital divide is not a gender-neutral issue. The use of the Internet and digital engagement indeed lessens the digital divide overall; however, their effects are significantly less for women. Furthermore, women are constrained from converting digital access to meaningful engagement due to concerns for digital safety and the controls of the patriarchy. The economic Digitalisation of activities and processes does not equally mitigate gendered digital exclusion. The results indicate that initiatives aimed at promoting digital inclusion should not focus solely on technological Expansion but also on the social constraints that are equally embedded in it.

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