A report published by the United Nations (UN) has stated that about 90 per cent young women and teenage girls in the poorest countries of the world have no access to the internet. The disparity in lack of access between the number of girls and boys offline poses a serious threat that women will be left behind economically in an increasingly digitally connected world, as stated in the report by United Nations Children’s Fund.
About 78 per cent of young men and teenage boys in the poorest countries are offline. This converts to about 65 million adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 who don’t have access to internet, in comparison to 57 million of their male peers. This disparity in access to technology also persists within same households. As per a study conducted across 41 countries, boys are more likely to receive mobile phones than girls.
