Exploring the gender digital divide in semi-rural areas: The case of Cajamarca in northern Peru

03/10/2024

FC4: Digital Divide & Digital Transformation

The digital divide is an issue that has been wisely addressed by governments across the world. Many rural and semi-urban women business owners of Cajamarca, Peru lack opportunities to expand their business to access broader markets through digital resources due to capability and access gaps. They hence needed digitalisation as a solid means by which to convert their businesses into a format that would survive (and possibly thrive) during the pandemic. The end-line need is to empower business-owning women to improve their businesses (and profits) through digitalisation.

If we gather qualitative data on the needs of women business owners regarding the divide digial, then we can identify which aspects of the digital divide are most relevant to them.

LSE MSc Student research collaboration with the UNDP Peru Accelerator Lab during two months, where the aim of the primary research - conversations with the ladies, organisations, professionals and researchers on the field - was to understand, with no assumptions, what the needs, current reality and gaps were. Extant literature pointed to several reasons for the existence of the digital divide, including gaps in capability, motivation, infrastructure and access, affordability, etc. These formed the hypotheses for the existence of the digital divide for the target group and need to be validated through primary research. The primary research would also aid in gathering insights into which among these were most relevant to the target group (the business-owning women) while accumulating qualitative data regarding their lived experiences and needs. The study was done at a local and micro (individual) level to address the deficiencies for the target group.

The hypothesis was proven, they needed digitalisation as a solid means by which to convert their businesses

The different methodologies ensured that there was an empirical understanding of the attitudes towards and need for digitalisation from the point of view of the target group (with a specific focus on different user profiles) while also ensuring that a more granular, qualitative understanding was obtained through the interviews (primary research). The aim was to maintain a balance between the research with the practical, human-centric approach to designing the intervention - aspects that the Accelerator Labs value in the work they do.