The After Access qualitative study on gender and digital technologies explores the lived experiences of adolescent girls, female teachers, women’s collectives and community health workers in Uganda, alongside Nigeria, Ghana and Ethiopia, to understand how women navigate digital access and use within distinct socio-economic and cultural contexts.
This brief is a condensed version of the full report After Access qualitative study on gender and digital technologies: Uganda report authored by Consolata Kabonesa, Ruth Nsibirano, Monica Nabukalu, Donnah Atwagala and Sally Nagawa.
In Uganda, the study shows that despite significant progress in digital infrastructure and supportive policy frameworks for digital transformation, the benefits of digitalisation remain unevenly distributed. Women are increasingly using digital technologies for learning, service delivery, entrepreneurship and communication, yet high data costs, infrastructural gaps, low digital literacy and entrenched patriarchal norms continue to constrain meaningful use. The findings point to the need for a more socially grounded and gender-responsive approach to digital inclusion that addresses affordability, skills, safety and unequal power relations.
