When women and girls don’t have access to the internet, it costs governments a lot of money.
How much money, exactly, has only been estimated, until now.
Those countries include India, Nigeria and the Philippines.
These groups can be defined by their geography, their gender,their raceor all three.
Women in low- and middle-income countries are even less likely to have internet access than their male counterparts.
“But I think we want to bring the message that this will affect everyone.”
Every year Costa Rica publishes a report on how it’s meeting the targets.
“That’s only possible if you’re setting those indicators in the first place,” said Woodhouse.
It’s an example of how creating systems of accountability can be best practice.
The “crucial problem” with expanding the research, Woodhouse said, is data availability.
The lack of data is something Woodhouse hopes will change.
But, he added, the overall goal of the research remains the same.
“That’s going to be a net benefit for everyone.”
