ISLAMABAD: The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has highlighted significant progress in gender-based mobile usage in Pakistan, while also pointing out the ongoing barriers women face in accessing mobile internet.
In its latest Mobile Gender Gap Report 2025, GSMA reported a historic drop in Pakistan’s mobile internet gender gap—from 38% in 2023 to 25% in 2024. For the first time since 2021, more Pakistani women gained access to mobile internet, with rural women driving much of the growth. The share of female mobile internet users rose from 33% in 2023 to 45% in 2024, while male usage increased by seven percentage points. This surge brought approximately 8 million women and 5 million men online in 2024.
Despite the progress, GSMA emphasized that affordability, limited digital skills, and deep-rooted social norms continue to hinder gender parity in mobile usage across Pakistan.
Social Norms and Access Issues Continue to Limit Digital Inclusion:
One of the biggest barriers to digital inclusion remains device ownership. GSMA revealed that 35% of Pakistani women who use mobile internet rely on borrowed phones, compared to just 6% of men. In contrast, 91% of women who own internet-enabled phones access mobile internet daily, while only 54% of women using borrowed devices go online each day. Ownership also broadens digital engagement—women with smartphones perform an average of three daily online activities, while those who borrow devices manage only 1.4.The report also highlighted the impact of social norms, revealing that 34% of women identified family disapproval as a major hurdle to mobile access, an issue men rarely reported. This finding underscores the broader societal challenges that continue to block equitable access to mobile technology.
On the policy front, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority launched a Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy to help close the mobile usage gap. Telecom operators such as Jazz, Telenor, and Ufone have also taken action by working to grow their female customer base under the GSMA Connected Women Commitment Initiative.
Although smartphone ownership didn’t grow at the same pace as mobile internet use, Pakistan stood out among surveyed countries for its progress in female digital access. However, the country must still address barriers like literacy, affordability, and social constraints to fully bridge the mobile internet gender divide.
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