There’s a Gender Gap in Internet Usage. Closing It Would Open Up Opportunities for Everyone

[Commentary] We have all heard about a gap when it comes to participation of women in the tech industry. But the gender gap problem doesn’t stop there. There’s also a shortage of women using some of the industry’s products. The International Telecommunications Union reports that the proportion of women using the internet is 12% lower than the proportion of men; this gender gap widens to 32.9% in the least developed countries. What this speaks to is an opportunity for the tech industry — both to address internal diversity issues and to address how companies think about the products they create around the world.

[Bhaskar Chakravorti is the Senior Associate Dean of International Business & Finance at The Fletcher School, Tufts University]