DIGITAL SKILLS AND GENDER GAP IN EUROPE (2007-2011)

In recent years, the number of people use Internet has grown considerably both in Spain and in Europe and the rest of the world. Looking at a few basic indicators of Internet use, disparities between men and women seem to have virtually closed. However, it is necessary to acquire a complex and gradual perspective to understand rigorously the phenomenon of access to digital technologies and the gender gap. This research analyzes data from the Community Survey on ICT usage in households and by individuals (Eurostat) to know the evolution of the gender gap in (computer and Internet) digital skills between 2007 and 2011. The information covers a sample of 30 countries of the European continent. The findings of this work show that the asymmetries between women and men at digital skills indeed are very light on the most basic and widespread ones. However, the gaps seem very significant in the more complex and specialized tasks. Gender gaps in this regard are detected in most European countries, including Spain, and especially in the computing skills. We have to highlight the fact that disparities are much more marked in countries with high levels of digital skills, such as the Nordic or Netherlands. Thus, we can conclude that the gender digital divide in this field is not clearly reduced if we adopt a complex and gradual perspective, contrary to what we may think if we only observe a small number of simple indicators.