THE numbers are encouraging, yet one cannot help but rue the opportunities still being lost. The GSMA’s Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026, issued recently, highlights the big strides Pakistan has made in terms of closing the gender gap in technology adoption. According to the report, the mobile internet adoption gap between men and women has narrowed from 25pc in 2024 to just 8pc this year, with more women now online. However, that figure hides some uncomfortable facts: among the surveyed countries, Pakistan still has the biggest gap in mobile ownership between genders, at 27pc. Ninety-three per cent of Pakistani men own a phone, but barely two-thirds of women do. There is another sad reality: 28pc of Pakistani women who count as mobile internet ‘users’ are actually accessing the internet from someone else’s phone, compared to just 4pc of men. Underlying much of this is a barrier which women often encounter, but that has no real equivalent for men: family disapproval.

It is clear from the report’s findings that Pakistanis, regardless of gender, face many common challenges hampering wider adoption of technology, especially limited digital literacy and digital skills. Connectivity problems are another major hindrance reported by both genders. However, the fact that nearly a quarter of Pakistani women who express awareness of mobile internet face resistance from their husbands, fathers or in-laws is something that must be addressed as a priority by the government. Pakistan’s great push forward in the global digital economy cannot afford to leave its women behind. The IT ministry must consider how it can encourage handset-financing schemes targeted at women, create digital literacy programmes designed specifically to address the constraints women face, and, most importantly, find ways to change attitudes around gatekeeping women’s access to the internet. The Quaid’s thoughts on women’s participation in economic activity are well-quoted. It can be reasonably argued that they must be applied equally in policymaking around the digital economy as well.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2026