Women and Digital Networking: Digital Skill Gap and Its Challenges

The digital revolution has transformed the world by offering immense opportunities for economic, social, and educational development. Though digitalization has no gender bias, unfortunately, it has given rise to gender inequality amongst ICT users, also known as the digital gender divide that discriminates against information usage and networking opportunities by women. The digital skill gap can be a threat to feminist movements for women's rights, social inclusion, economic growth, and policy-making. A comprehensive analysis of the digital gender divide and sociocultural barriers, economic disparities, educational inequalities, and technological constraints has been presented in the paper that disproportionately hinder women's approach to digital technologies. Furthermore, it explores the complex interplay between gender, digital literacy, and participation in the digital sphere. In response to this pressing issue, the paper proposes a range of strategies to redefine gender roles and bridge the digital skill gap to overcome inequality. These strategies encompass multi-stakeholder collaborations, policy interventions, educational initiatives, capacity-building programs, and the promotion of gender-responsive technology design. Moreover, it emphasizes on the importance of creating safe online spaces, counteracting online harassment and fostering digital skills and confidence among women and girls. Between the lines of research, the paper imparts knowledge and calls for the attention of policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to work towards a more equitable and inclusive digital future.