[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

Intel has released a report on Women and the Web, unveiling data on the enormous Internet gender gap in the developing world, and the social and economic benefits of securing Internet access for women.

On average, across the developing world, nearly 25 per cent fewer women than men have access to the Internet, and the gender gap soars to nearly 45 per cent in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, according to the report. Further, the study found that one in five women in India and Egypt believes the Internet is not appropriate for them.

One in five women in India and Egypt believes the Internet is not “appropriate” for them. On average across the developing world, nearly 25 per cent fewer women than men have access to the Internet, and the gender gap soars to nearly 45 per cent in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. Across the surveyed countries, nearly half of respondents used the Web to search for and apply for a job, and 30 per cent had used the Internet to earn additional income.

More than 70 per cent of Internet users considered the Internet “liberating” and 85 per cent said it “provides more freedom.”

The report issues a call to action to double the number of women and girls online in developing countries from 600 million today to 1.2 billion in 3 years. Seeing another 600 million women online would mean that 40 per cent of women and girls in developing countries — nearly double the share today — would have access to the transformative power of the Internet. This goal, if realized, could potentially contribute an estimated  $13 billion to $18 billion to annual GDP across 144 developing countries.

The report’s findings are based on interviews and surveys of 2,200 women and girls living in urban and peri-urban areas of four focus countries: Egypt, India, Mexico and Uganda, as well as analyses of global databases.

Intel commissioned this study and consulted with the U.S. State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, UN Women and World Pulse, a global network for women, for the research.

You can access a copy of the report from the Intel website here.

[Image courtesy: Intel]