The Internet is now a necessity. People all around the world do everything via the Internet - sharing special moments, communicating with loved ones from afar, buying clothes or groceries, attending classes and business meetings, and so much more.
This is true for most places, but for people living in bad conditions, there seems to be a different trend. According to a report on Huffington Post, a research said that poor women living in developing countries are 50 percent less likely to use the Internet. They said it's because of the high cost and of course their lack of skill.
59 percent of the men surveyed use the Internet and just 37 percent of women do, this survey was done by the Web Foundation. Anne Jellema, Web Foundation's chief executive said that most poor women are usually confined away from the real world that when they are asked to try something that might help them get out of their unfortunate situation, they tend to break and consequently feel the gender discrimination. She added that the government should make technical and digital skills a right for everyone as a commitment to provide quality education for all
The research team surveyed about 1,000 people, 750 being women and 250 men in countries like India, Kenya, the Philippines to name a few between January to October this year. World leaders agreed to a plan to end poverty and inequality in the next 15 years as part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The fifth one concerns gender equality and bringing technology to more women by 2030.
Most women will use the internet mostly for keeping in touch with their family and friends through social media and other mediums of communication. As mentioned in the study, they're 25 percent less likely to use the Internet to search for a job.
Brudvig said that the risk is that social media simply recreate the inequalities that these women face in their lives instead of helping them open up to a new chance.
