The gender digital divide in francophone Africa : a harsh reality

"The Gender Digital Divide in Francophone Africa : A Harsh Reality" is part of the French-language series "Etudes et recherches" published by ENDA. These occasional papers are series of monographs, published as a supplement to the journal African environment - Environmental studies and regional planning bulletin. This document presents the main results of the research on the "Gender digital divide in Francophone Africa : data and indicators", which was carried out in 2004-2005 by the Gender and ICT Network (Réseau genre et TIC), with the sponsorship of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) based in Ottawa, Canada.

The "Gender Digital Divide in Francophone Africa" research project, undertaken by the Gender and ICT Network, found that women overall have one chance in three less than men of benefiting from the African Information Society in the six countries included in the study (Benin, Burkina FasoBurkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal). Furthermore, any connection between gender and ICT issues is largely unrecognised. The quantitative and qualitative evidence presented by the research, which justifies the alarms raised by gender specialists within the information society, appeals to public and civil society policymakers to implement actions towards a more inclusive and fair society in terms of gender.

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