Why The Internet Is Missing A Female Voice

It is hard to remember that the internet is a privilege. In the US, especially on a college campus, the thought of someone never having accessed the internet is unheard of. Someone not knowing how to use a computer seems ridiculous. But the reality is that we are lucky enough to have constant access to the internet and all of the freedoms it provides.

Not everyone is so lucky. Specifically, women in other countries. A study was released last year that shed light on the startling gender gap in internet use. In underdeveloped countries, very few women have access to the internet or know how to use a computer. Women do not have the same level of education as the men in these countries, and this ignorance is keeping them from utilizing the internet — the voice it could give them.

In many ways, the internet means freedom. It is (for now) an unregulated place where anyone can have an opinion, find information or participate in activism. This is an important resource that women are not taking advantage of.

Politicians, especially in the US and the UK, are beginning to question net neutrality. They are starting to question how free internet users should be. There has been tremendous backlash against the idea of limiting internet freedom, but whose freedom are we fighting for? The majority of this freedom belongs to middle and upper-class white men. Women need to take a piece of this freedom for themselves while it still exists. Internet freedom should be about disenfranchised people speaking out and fighting back, not about whether some teenager is allowed to post inflammatory remarks on his web page.

Fortunately, there are some organizations that are working to provide computer education and internet access to women in other countries. Women in Technology in the Middle East provides women in places like Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia with computer and internet skills. There are also internet cafes popping up in other countries that cater to only female users. Let’s hope women can find a strong online voice before the internet freedom officially becomes a boys club.

Contact the author here: JennY@morningquickie.com