Intersectional obstacles to e-accessibility

Policymakers must pay due regard to the intersecting economic and social barriers that can prevent the most vulnerable individuals or groups in their regions or communities from accessing digital services. Intersectionality is about listening to the voices of those who suffer from various overlapping forms of persecution, in order to understand the drivers of – and the interplay between – different types of inequality in a given context. These intersecting and simultaneous forms of oppression can be rooted in many factors, including gender, nationality, ethnicity, age, minority status (in the case of refugees, for example), or economic and social class.

An intersectional approach must be taken to ensure that national policy is comprehensive and guarantees e-accessibility for all inhabitants in a given country. There are many different barriers that can hamper access to digital services for persons with disabilities, thus compounding the obstacles that they already face as a direct result of their disability. It is important to identify and address the various intersecting factors that contribute to those barriers and find solutions to redress the balance for persons with disabilities and promote e-accessibility for the population groups targeted by the policy. For example, women with disabilities face more difficulty accessing digital services than other women, and if those women with disabilities also happen to be migrants, then the challenge becomes even greater. On that basis, an intersectional approach means understanding the whole range of factors that can influence people’s ability to access the internet and other digital services.

1. Women

It is no secret that women all over the world face unique challenges and the gender gap persists throughout every context in every country. As a result, women have fewer opportunities than men to access digital technologies and acquire the necessary skills to use them to their advantage. When designing e-accessibility policy, it is, therefore, necessary to take a gender-based approach that duly considers the challenges facing women in the Arab region, to ensure that the policy promotes digital inclusion rather than exacerbating the gender gap.

The statistics below, published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), show the difference in Internet use between the sexes in a number of Arab States. As shown in the table, certain Arab States have a higher proportion of male than female Internet users, whereas countries with high overall levels of Internet use – such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates – have similar numbers of male and female Internet users.

Percentage of individuals using the Internet, by gender, in selected Arab countries (most recent year for which data is available)

Country Most recent year data available All individuals Gender
Male Female
Algeria 2018 49 55.1 42.9
Bahrain 2018 98.6 98.7 98.5
Egypt 2018 46.9 52.4 41.3
Kuwait 2018 99.6 99.5 99.8
Morocco 2018 64.8 68.5 61.1
Oman 2019 92.4 90.6 96.8
State of Palestine 2018 64.4 68.5 60.2
Qatar 2019 99.7 100 99.3
Saudi Arabia 2018 93.3 94.6 91.4
Sudan 2016 14.1 16.9 11
United Arab Emirates 2018 98.5 98.3 98.8

Source: Statistics from the ITU: Statistics on gender and information and communication technology (2020), available online at: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx.

Using an intersectional lens also means recognizing the historical context surrounding gender-related issues in any given country and cultural environment. Long histories of violence and systematic discrimination have created deep inequalities that continue to affect women to the present day, as the various layers of inequality intersect and interact with one another. For example, poverty, caste systems, racism, and sexism are all intersecting issues that deny people their rights and equal opportunities; the impact of this extends across many generations.[1]

2. Children

Children have the right to special care and assistance, as stipulated in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child, and families – the core component of society and the natural environment for raising children – must be afforded protection and assistance to allow them to fulfil their responsibilities in society. According to the Declaration, “the child, by reason of his/her physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth”.

3. Minorities

In view of the deprivation faced by many communities as a result of their minority status, national e-accessibility policy must take account of the unique circumstances experienced by persons with disabilities from those communities, a factor which is often disregarded.

Denial of basic rights: Individuals in minority communities are sometimes unable to exercise their rights, either as a result of their irregular legal status or because of social discrimination. Therefore, e-accessibility policies must take account of all forms of marginalization and ensure that all citizens and residents have equal access to digital and online services, pursuant to human rights law.

Language barriers: Depending on which native language they speak, members of minorities can also face linguistic challenges that prevent them from accessing basic services. A successful e-accessibility policy must cater for the unique situation of each linguistic community and ensure that the linguistic and cultural diversity of the area in question is taken into account, so as to ensure that services meet the needs of as many people as possible, on the basis of “universal design”.

4. Social and economic status

In any given environment, poverty creates a continuous state of deprivation that hinders individuals’ access to digital services and exacerbates existing disability-related challenges. Persons with disabilities suffer disproportionately as a result of a range of factors linked to economic and social disadvantage, including inadequate education and lack of access to (or familiarity with) ICTs. For e-accessibility policies to be successful, they must identify and address these existing economic and social barriers.


[1] UN Women, July 1, 2020, Intersectional feminism: what it means and why it matters right now, Brazil, Valdecir Nascimento. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/6/explainer-intersectional-feminism-what-it-means-and-why-it-matters.