About 90% of adolescent girls and young women do not use the Internet in low-income countries, while their male peers are twice as likely to be online.
These are the data from Unicef on the occasion of the International Day of Girls in Technology, Girls in Ict (Information and Communication Technology), celebrated today by the ITU, the International Union of Communications, a United Nations agency.
It serves to encourage young women and girls to choose studies and careers in the computer field.
"Closing the digital divide between girls and boys is not just about having access to the internet and technology. It's about empowering girls to become innovators, creators and leaders," said Unicef Education Director Robert Jenkins. gender gaps in the labor market, especially in science, technology, engineering and maths, we need to start now by helping young people, especially girls, acquire digital skills."
According to the Unicef report, girls are less likely to have the opportunity to develop the skills needed for learning and employment.
On average across 32 countries and territories, young women are 35% less likely than their male peers to have digital skills, including simple tasks such as copying or pasting files or folders, sending email or transferring files.
Unicef is calling on governments and partners "to close the gender gap and ensure that girls have the opportunity to succeed in a digital world".