Digital Gender Divide
Women have historically had little access to media, communication technologies and the opportunity to build communities and share experiences with other women on a global basis. CMC offers opportunities to change this, but only if women are active participants. In its early developments, men were almost exclusively the inhabitants of cyberspace. Now, however, women online are the norm rather than the exception.
Nevertheless, many researchers argue there is a digital gender divide. Recall from that the digital divide is a concept through which the inequality in computer technology use is mapped. It refers to the gap between regions or groups of people that are left behind in use of computers and the internet and those who take access for granted. The digital gender divide is an extension of this concept, and focuses specifically on the inequity of women's access to and use of communication technology.
So, is there really gender equity online? If we consider issues of women using the internet for civic participation (a rich research question to tackle), factor in the demographics of the digital divide, examine the entry of women into computer science programs, and look at how women are designing information technologies and participating in governance issues, the answer is less optimistic than a resounding yes.