Building Inclusive Smart Cities: Bridging the Gender Gap

By Sanjeevani Singh and Fabia Sauter
BANGKOK, Thailand, Sep 16 2024 – When the Beijing Declaration was adopted in 1995, it called for the removal of systematic and structure barriers that prevent women and girls from enjoying their human rights across social, economic, political and environmental domains. Over the last decade, the proportion of population with access to the internet has increased from 36 per cent in in 2013 to 67 percent today.

Despite this progress, a significant digital gender gap in internet access and utilization persists. In 2023, only 54 per cent of women in Asia and the Pacific had digital access. Specifically, women in South Asia are 36 per cent less likely to use the internet than men.

Closing this digital gender gap is essential for advancing the goals of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, achieving gender equality and building inclusive and sustainable smart cities and communities.

With Asia-Pacific’s growing urban population and digital market, smart cities are an enticing development strategy many countries are adopting to leverage data, communications, technology and artificial intelligence for improved governance, enhanced service delivery and commerce.

Smart solutions are driving improved outcomes including quality of life, low-carbon growth, and environmental stewardship and sustainability. However, the digital gender gap remains a key challenge to leveraging the benefits of smart cities for all.

The disparity between men and women in terms of access to, usage of, and benefits derived from digital technologies creates significant barriers to sustainable development and inclusive growth.

This gap is influenced by various factors, including socio-cultural norms, affordability and digital literacy. Often, disparities are compounded further for women and girls with disabilities, those from underprivileged socioeconomic backgrounds, or ethnic minorities.

A young girl greeting a robot in Osaka, Japan. Digital technology has become an integral part in service industry. Credit: Unsplash/ Andy Kelly

In an increasingly digital world, women’s lack of digital literacy and access to the internet and mobile devices translates into missed opportunities for e-government, health and financial services, as well as online learning, employment and e-commerce.

For example, limited digital access can prevent women from utilizing telehealth services, accessing health information and managing their health through digital tools, accessing information about government services and social welfare programmes and participating in governance through online voting, public consultations and feedback mechanisms.

Efforts that increase women’s digital literacy and access and as well as the development of people-centred smart city policies and initiatives are needed to increase inclusion and equity. This requires collaboration with multiple stakeholders, including women themselves, to create inclusive, equitable and effective solutions that bridge the digital gap.

The benefits of closing the digital gender gap are immense. Beyond the intrinsic value of the promotion of SDG 5 (Gender Equality) for human rights, gender equality is linked to peace and prosperity and the achievement of inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities as highlighted in SDG 11.

Improving digital access can lead to more inclusive and equitable societies, and allow women to contribute diverse perspectives, ideas, and innovations that could enrich societies worldwide. The Alliance for Affordable Internet estimates that closing the gap in 32 low-income countries could generate up to USD 524 billion in economic activity by 2025.

Empowering women digitally is not just about fairness, it is about harnessing the full potential of human talent and creativity for a more prosperous and inclusive region.

Governments, international organizations, and civil society across the region are actively addressing the root causes of the digital gender gap. In this context, smart city initiatives have the potential to drive significant progress toward gender equality by addressing the digital gender gap.

For example, Seoul has implemented various gender-inclusive smart city initiatives, including safety apps, enhanced surveillance, women-only parking spaces, digital inclusion policies, and gender equality programs. Additionally, several digital inclusion policies and gender equality programmes focus on increasing women’s literacy and supporting their economic empowerment.

UNICEF’s Digital Literacy Equity Outcomes Fund, ESCAP’s Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme, and the International Telecommunication Union’s ‘Girls in ICT’ days help advance girls’ and women’s education and digital literacy. Public-private partnerships, like the Thailand Safe Internet Coalition are improving internet safety. Initiatives such as the Alliance for Affordable Internet advocate for affordable and accessible digital infrastructure to foster participatory societies.

By embedding gendered perspectives and applying gender mainstreaming in the planning and implementation, they ensure that smart cities serve gender-specific needs and concerns. Moreover, addressing intersecting forms of inequality, such as those based on race, socioeconomic status, and disability, is essential to creating truly inclusive smart cities.

Improving digital literacy, gender-sensitive policies and plans, and people-centred smart cities that leverage digital technologies to bridge the gender gap are crucial for realizing the Beijing Declaration’s goals in the 21st century and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The upcoming Beijing+30 review offers an opportunity to assess progress and galvanize efforts towards achieving gender equality through digital empowerment.

Sanjeevani Singh is Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP; Fabia Sauter is an Intern, ESCAP.

ESCAP will convene the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review in collaboration with UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in Bangkok, from 19-21 November 2024.

IPS UN Bureau

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