Section 1 | GLOBAL CONTEXT GLOBAL CONTEXT: Gender, ICTs, and Development 1.1 The Global Gender Digital Divide Around the world, women and girls face barriers to their human development that are linked to gender norms and structural discrimination. Unequal access to ICTs compounds their already limited access to educational, livelihood, and health information and services, presents another brake to their civic participation, and dampens economic and other opportunities for them to contribute to personal, community, and national development.40 Women and girls without digital access and skills are unaware of the potential for ICTs to benefit them, setting up a cycle in which they neither seek ICTs for themselves nor prioritize them for their daughters. Information and opportunities to transform de jure rights into de facto realities are missed. “Boys are better at technology. Why? They don’t have housework to do so they have extra time to learn by playing with technology. I’m afraid I’ll break my phone!” —Urban factory worker The extent and importance of addressing the global gender digital divide has been well documented by multilateral institutions such as the ITU41 and World Bank,42 international NGOs such as the World Wide Web Foundation,43 private groups like McKinsey & Co.44 and the Clinton Global Initiative,45 and industry giants such as Facebook and Intel.46 Both resources and political will have been committed to raise understanding of the critical link between the gender digital divide and equitable international development. Examples include international collaborative efforts such as the Women and the Web Alliance World Bank, World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2016). ITU, How Can We Close the Digital Gender Gap? (Geneva: ITU, 2016). 42 World Bank, World Development Report 2016. 43 World Wide Web Foundation, Women’s Rights Online Digital Gender Gap Audit (Washington, DC: World Wide Web Foundation, September 2016). 44 McKinsey, “Offline and Falling Behind.” 45 Clinton Global Initiative, “Technology,” 2016, Clinton Foundation. 46 Intel, “She Will Connect,” 2017 40 41 Ending the Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar: A Problem-Driven Political Economy Assessment | 19