Logged Out: How Women Are Missing from Latin America’s Digital Transformation

The World Bank highlights persistent digital gender disparities in Latin America and the Caribbean, where women face barriers to access, skills, and opportunities in the digital economy. Bridging this divide through inclusive policies and targeted interventions could significantly boost regional growth and gender equality.

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have made impressive strides in digital connectivity over recent years. Between 2018 and 2022, household internet access jumped from 50.7% to 68.4%, fueled by urban demand and infrastructure expansion. Yet, beneath this growth lies a troubling gender imbalance. Research institutions, including the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the Alliance for Affordable Internet, have highlighted persistent digital gender divides across the region. In most LAC countries, men are still more likely than women to access and use the internet. Some exceptions, like the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Uruguay, show higher internet usage among women, but these cases are anomalies in a region where affordability, social norms, and digital literacy continue to exclude millions of women from the digital world.

Numerous personal and societal barriers inhibit women’s meaningful digital participation. These range from wage disparities and caregiving responsibilities to limited access to devices and data plans. Additionally, women consistently report greater concerns about privacy, misinformation, scams, and exposure to cyber violence. Such apprehensions create an environment where many women feel unsafe or disempowered online. Moreover, women face steeper challenges in engaging with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). In countries with significant gender digital gaps, even when women hold positions conducive to AI adoption, they encounter obstacles that prevent them from effectively utilizing these tools. This divide has a cascading effect on labor markets, entrepreneurship, and national productivity.

Digital Exclusion Has Economic Consequences

The economic fallout of digital exclusion is significant. Globally, women's limited digital access constrains their participation in the labor force, stifling innovation and productivity. Studies provide compelling evidence of this impact. In Jordan, research by Viollaz and Winkler found that a one-percentage-point increase in internet access led to a 0.7 percentage point rise in women’s labor force participation. In Tanzania, women in regions with mobile internet coverage transitioned from informal agricultural work to non-farm employment, increasing their incomes. Mexico offers another example: during the COVID-19 pandemic, access to computers enabled college-educated women to sustain employment through telework.

According to the Alliance for Affordable Internet, the exclusion of women from the digital economy resulted in a GDP loss of approximately US$126 billion across 32 low- and lower-middle-income countries in 2020. The GSMA (2019) estimated that closing the mobile internet usage gap in developing nations could add up to $700 billion to global GDP. These findings underscore the urgency of investing in inclusive digital development as both a gender equity imperative and an economic growth strategy.

What Works: Strategies to Bridge the Divide

To tackle this divide, the World Bank’s Digital Development Global Practice has adopted a holistic, multi-pillar approach. First, expanding digital infrastructure remains crucial. Initiatives aim to enhance broadband access and establish female-friendly community centers and libraries equipped with internet access and female staff. Second, affordability solutions, like pay-as-you-go devices and installment plans, are being promoted to reduce the cost barrier for women.

Financial inclusion is another focus area. Programs are being developed to facilitate access to mobile money, savings accounts, and national IDs, enabling women to better manage resources, receive payments, and respond to economic shocks. Entrepreneurship is also receiving attention, with targeted support for women-led businesses through grants, mentoring, and access to digital finance.

Digital literacy programs are designed with a gender-sensitive lens. Training initiatives prioritize privacy, cybersecurity, and online safety, and are scheduled to accommodate caregiving responsibilities. Female instructors and peer networks help dismantle social norms that discourage women from participating. Simultaneously, regulatory frameworks are being reformed to include gender perspectives, enhance online safety, promote STEM education, and establish measurable targets for digital inclusion.

Evidence from the Field: Tested Interventions

Several empirically tested interventions offer valuable lessons. In Mexico, transitioning the Oportunidades cash transfer program to electronic payments significantly improved recipients’ financial behavior, especially among women. Participants reduced informal saving practices, received remittances more frequently, and used savings to buffer against shocks rather than resort to loans. In Ecuador, the Más Tecnología program equipped schools with computer labs and personalized learning software, boosting math performance among primary students. Another trial targeted first-year higher education students with digital math remediation tools, improving test scores and reducing course repetition, especially among male students, who are more likely to enroll in STEM fields.

Coding bootcamps in Argentina and Colombia, specifically designed for women have shown significant impacts. Participants gained skills, accessed tech-sector jobs, and demonstrated greater resilience during the early months of the COVID-19 economic downturn. In Colombia, a tablet-based financial literacy program reached women in cash transfer schemes, improving savings behavior and long-term financial attitudes. In Guatemala, the DIGITAGRO pilot used SMS and video messages to connect rural women to school food markets. The campaign increased awareness, sales participation, and prices earned for agricultural products, demonstrating the power of simple digital tools in empowering women.

Building a More Inclusive Digital Future

Inspired by these successes, World Bank operations across LAC are integrating gender-focused digital development into national strategies. In Argentina, a broadband expansion project targeting 175,000 women includes digital literacy programs for female students and public servants, with job placement outcomes monitored. The Dominican Republic is designing digital government services with female users in mind, supported by innovation labs that streamline service delivery. In Brazil, the Espírito Santo Digital Acceleration Project addresses both digital skilling and gender-based violence by upgrading the national GBV helpline and training women in digital competencies. Mexico is focusing on financial regulations to enhance women’s trust and participation in digital finance. In Haiti, where only 7% of women have internet access, a digital acceleration project is introducing advanced technical training in AI, blockchain, and coding to close the skills gap.

These efforts, though varied in scope and setting, share a common goal: to ensure women are not left behind in the digital age. As Latin America and the Caribbean continue their digital transformation, bridging the gender divide is not just a matter of equity, it is a foundation for inclusive economic growth and sustainable development. The region’s future prosperity depends on the full participation of all its citizens, online and offline.