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Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

Several initiatives seek to brake gender gaps in access to technologies.

By Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) en América Latina y el Caribe

March 8^th, 2023

As the world continues to rapidly advance technologically, it becomes increasingly important to consider the impact of these advancements on society as a whole. This International Women's Day, the theme "For an inclusive digital world: Innovation and technology for gender equality" highlights the crucial need to reflect on the differential effects that technology has on different genders. In the Latin American and Caribbean region, the inequality in access to and use of digital technology between men and women is particularly stark, and contributes to a vicious cycle that perpetuates gender disparity in both digital and physical spaces.

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, women represented the majority (56%) of those financially excluded from the digital economy, a statistic that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic's effects on the labor market. With many women leaving the workforce due to the pandemic, particularly those in the informal sector and those with young children, the gender gaps in access to and use of technology have only grown wider.

In Latin America, as remote work became increasingly prevalent during the pandemic, more than half of those doing remote work were women. This has led to an exacerbation of the care burdens that women already face, particularly due to school closures and quarantines. It is imperative that we continue to work towards a more inclusive and equitable digital world, recognizing the ways in which technology and innovation can both contribute to and combat gender inequality.

As we strive towards a more equitable and inclusive digital world, it is essential to have concrete measures in place to close the gender gap in access to and use of technology. To this end, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is working tirelessly to support countries in creating gender equality objectives as part of their national digital strategies. This involves a concerted effort to promote the digitalization of micro, small, and medium-sized businesses owned by women, providing support and opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the digital sphere, and expanding access to digital financial products and services.

Foto: PNUD Costa Rica

In addition, UNDP is taking a comprehensive approach to addressing the issue of gender-based violence, including online violence, by promoting gender-sensitive digital public and financial services while also working towards ensuring that women have equal access to technological skills and STEM education, among other key areas of interest. With these efforts, UNDP is leading the charge towards a more equitable and empowering digital future for women, paving the way towards resilient and prosperous societies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Here are just a few examples of the progress that has been made with the support of UNDP:

Dominican Republic: integrating gender equality in strategies, public policies and digital programs.

In the Dominican Republic, with the support of the Research Center for Women's Action (CIPAF), the digital platform Know your Candidate (Conoce tu Candidata) was created, a virtual tool whose purpose is to be a plural and impartial space that makes all female candidates visible. political parties, groups and movements, promoting a rapprochement of the citizens to the candidates in the local and national electoral processes.

As a result of these efforts, in the last elections a total of 7,876 women candidates for municipal office were integrated into the platform and 22,750 registered on the portal before the local elections. In addition, training and coordination of virtual spaces focused on political participation, democratic governance and gender were carried out, impacting a total of 828 women politicians.

Barbados: Improving inclusive digital resilience to foster local tourism

Barbados has launched an Inclusive Digital Resilience Program to boost local tourism. The UNDP Barbados and Eastern Caribbean, in collaboration with the University of the West Indies Open Campus and the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, have designed a 12-week Business Adaptation Program (BAP) aimed at training 187 Caribbean MSMEs, of which 77% are women-owned, with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and hailing from different countries and territories across the region. Through this program, they are being trained in Digital Technologies, Financial Planning, and Marketing to better adapt to the instability and challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The acquired skills will enable the MSMEs to recover and adapt, and better withstand future shocks, making valuable contributions to local and regional economies.

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

El Salvador: ensuring universal connectivity.

In El Salvador, the Digi-Chiquihuites initiative has been part of the early recovery response to COVID-19, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR) and the Salvadoran Tourism Institute (ISTU). The project co-designed a series of basic digital baskets that include a smartphone, access to eight weeks of face-to-face and virtual training, as well as mobile connectivity packages, to support micro and small entrepreneurs in the country's tourism sector. , one of the most vulnerable and affected by the pandemic. In addition, the tourism sector is made up mostly of women (78%), with an average age of over 47 years, with a low educational level (only 9.1% have university studies) and an illiteracy rate of 14.3%.

As a result of the digital baskets, businesswomen showed increases in positive attitudes (16.9%), knowledge about technology (30.2%), collection skills (29.8%) and knowledge of online promotion (28.9%).

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

Mexico: Safe and Resilient Women

In Mexico, UNDP developed the "Secure and Resilient Women" project to empower indigenous women economically and financially through the creation of a Solidarity Savings Group. During 10 months, they managed to save $117,922 Mexican pesos (USD 5,920) and 87% of the participants acquired skills to measure their financial vulnerability, while 17% achieved high financial resilience to shocks. At the end of the project, 80% of the participating women had paid activities, compared to only 40% at the start of the project.

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

Uruguay: Fighting gender violence online with technology.

In Uruguay, UNDP, the Women's Institute and the British Embassy developed the Digital Violence Against Women Monitor. This artificial intelligence-based tool provides evidence of attacks against public figures, including politicians, journalists, activists and artists on Twitter. From March to October 2022, more than 900,000 tweets have been tracked and 11% of them have been found to be violent, being insults to abilities (45%), speech and ideas (35%), as well as those referring to the body and sexuality (8%), the most prevalent categories of violence.

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

Towards an inclusive digital revolution in latin America and the Caribbean

With the increasing reliance on technology in our world, it is increasingly urgent to address the impacts of the digital age on women and their futures. In this regard, UNDP plays a key role in working with partners to ensure that gender equality is at the center of digital transformation and avoid perpetuating patterns of discrimination. The goal remains to fight against gender-based violence in the digital realm and to make sure that the digital transformation is inclusive and leaves no one behind. As a society, it is our responsibility to work together to achieve a fairer and more equitable digital world for all people.

#Don'tLeaveAnyoneBehind.

© 2026 Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) en América Latina y el Caribe

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