More users do not prove that a gap has closed. The sample may change while connection cost, time and language still block some groups.
The decision to examine
Use voluntary listening, provide a non-digital route and examine access and withdrawal without sensitive details. Do not infer people’s needs from appearance.
Worked example
ITU’s 2025 global estimates put Internet use at 77% for men and 71% for women. This is an aggregate difference, not a description of every country or individual.
From idea to practice
- Describe the problem as a need, not a product name.
- Specify evidence needed before a decision and who reviews it.
- Test a non-personal example and log failures as well as successes.
- State whether to continue, improve or stop and why.
Your exercise
Write two barriers to check locally and one way to make the service available without requiring a personal phone.
Review rubric
A useful answer identifies a context, checkable evidence, a boundary and an owner for the next step. If it fits any organisation unchanged, add a detail specific to the case. This is a learning rubric, not automatic marking or official assessment.
Further reading: Facts and Figures 2025: gender digital divide — ITU · 2025 · Checked: 8 October 2026
Your next step
Open the readiness notebook · Explore policy sources
Institutional DJAIRI material prepared with AI assistance. Learning examples are hypothetical; analysis and recommendations are Mustanef’s. Citing a source does not imply partnership or endorsement.