Share

Women '50% less likely' to access web in poor areas

Cape Town - High prices, gender pay gaps, and a lack of education makes women 50% less likely to access basic internet services in poor urban communities, a global technology group has told Parliament.

The portfolio committee on telecommunications and postal services held the second day of public hearings into the cost to communicate on Wednesday.

Dillon Mann, of the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), told the committee that a global survey of 10 000 people across ten countries revealed that women in poor areas have restricted access.

“The key barrier was price, but it is compounded by income inequality between genders," Mann said. 

“We really must prioritse gender equality online, and we can start by setting specific gender targets in policy,” Mann added.

Mann said the survey revealed 37% of women surveyed were internet users, as opposed to 59% of men.

Women who were politically active offline were twice as likely to use the internet.

The gender disparity also had a direct relationship with education.

At tertiary level, the difference was marginal, with 83% of male internet users compared to 78% of women users.

However, 24% of men with only primary school education were active internet users, compared to 11% of women.

Those who completed high school, 58% of men used the internet, compared to 43% of women.

“As we investigate public access programmes, we must make sure they target women and girls too,” Mann said.

Income inequality

A4AI regional head Onica Makwakwa said income inequality in general also masked the true picture of internet access.

“The lowest income earners, the bottom 20%, are spending up to 14% of their income on basic broadband access," said Makwakwa.

“If you look at the top 20% of income earners, they spend less than half a percent on the same broadband,” Makwakwa added.

The UN recommends 500MB should cost less than 5% of income for all income groups, she said.

Makakwa said that broadband policy should breakdown reporting by income groups, and expand public access programmes.
Emphasis should also be on community-owned networks.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.96
-0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.95
-0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.48
-0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.36
-0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.4%
Platinum
911.60
+1.6%
Palladium
1,012.97
+1.1%
Gold
2,216.03
+1.0%
Silver
24.89
+1.0%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.9%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.9%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders