The world is experiencing a digital revolution and anticipating its potential to improve women’s empowerment. However, studies found that women are still struggling to enter the digital ecosystem due to many factors. This blog—previously published as an op-ed piece at The Jakarta Post—outlines women’s limited participation in the digital economy and the policy recommendations to close the digital gender gap. MSC participated in drafting these policy recommendations and discussed them in detail at the G20 Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment (MCWE) in Bali in August 2022.

Cooperatives are often encouraged to embrace modernization and digitalization. Yet, how prepared are they to undertake this journey? The problem tends to be more challenging, especially for women’s cooperatives in the rural areas, which are constrained in terms of access and skills to use digital platforms.