This policy brief examines the global shift towards digitalisation and the technical, social and organisational changes driving it. It argues that the capacity to use digital technology is now central to individual wellbeing and to community and political participation, and that women and girls must have equal and fair access to digital opportunities if that shift is not to widen existing inequality.

The brief also considers the heightened reliance on information and communication technologies that followed COVID-19 lockdowns, which showed that many countries were unprepared for such a rapid digital transition. Where public services were digitalised quickly, structural inequality often deepened. The brief sets out what is required to enable women's and girls' fair access: addressing barriers to access, sustained investment in technology and skills, better data on the digital divide, measures to promote women's participation in technological innovation and digital governance, and attention to the social norms that limit digital inclusion.