A woman watches a clip made as part of the Safe Digital Home initiative, which aims to protect women and children in cyberspace. The initiative is run by the Sa Đéc Ward Women’s Union in Đồng Tháp Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Nhung

HÀ NỘI — Alongside the opportunities offered by digital technology, women also face numerous risks online, from harassment and scams to personal data breaches and violations.

The gender gap in digital spaces is not just an issue of access to technology, but has become a challenge to gender equality and inclusive development, experts in the field said at a recent seminar on the issue held in Hà Nội.

At the seminar, participants argued that in recent years, the digital boom has brought substantial changes to the lives of Vietnamese women, especially in rural and mountainous areas.

No longer confined to village boundaries or traditional modes of production, many women have learned to use the internet and social platforms to access knowledge and increase their incomes.

Stories of ethnic women livestreaming sales of agricultural produce on social platforms and boosting household incomes are no longer rare.

From early steps, such as learning to photograph products and write promotional posts for social media, to managing cash flows via digital banking apps, technology has truly opened a door for women to take part more fully in economic and social activities.

However, seminar participants agreed that alongside opportunities for learning, work and social connection, the digital environment also poses many challenges for women.

Risks such as fraud, breaches of personal data and gender‑based violence that employ technology are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

In Việt Nam, given the complex evolution of high‑tech crime, women and girls have become a particularly vulnerable group on social platforms.

Gender gap

The principle of leaving no one behind in the digital era was confirmed by the Party Central Committee in Resolution 57‑NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation.

Under the resolution, the development of a digital workforce and enhancing citizens’ digital skills are identified as core tasks in building an inclusive digital society. Inclusion is not just about everyone owning a smartphone or having internet access; citizens must possess the skills and knowledge to use technology safely.

Current evidence shows the gender gap in the digital environment has shifted from access towards gaps in self‑protection capabilities. Limitations in the skills needed to recognise risks and safeguard personal data have made women and girls easy targets for online fraud, harassment, non‑consensual image distribution and other forms of technology‑enabled gender‑based violence.

Lê Hồng Việt, director of the Institute for Women’s Research under the Việt Nam Women’s Academy, said that skill deficits, cultural stereotypes and reluctance to engage deeply with technology are barriers for women.

When incidents occur or women become victims of online abuse, this reluctance often prevents them from seeking timely support, she said.

The digital environment both reflects and risks amplifying real‑world gender inequalities.

Tuva Communication programme manager Mai Quỳnh Anh said that stereotypes tying women to domestic and caregiving roles and men to leadership and technical roles continue to be reproduced through media content, advertising and social media algorithms.

When such images recur, they invisibly normalise prejudice and undermine women’s agency and confidence online.

In this way, the digital environment can magnify offline inequalities through the speed of social media and algorithmic amplification.

Narrowing the gender gap in digital safety must therefore begin with identifying the stereotypes embedded in media products and in how individuals behave online, Anh said.

Digital safety skills

Faced with an increasingly complex digital environment, many experts say the responsibility for safety should not rest solely with individual women. Closing the gender gap in digital spaces requires coordinated solutions and collective action across society.

Vũ Duy Hiền, deputy general secretary and chief of office of the National Cyber Security Association, said: “Building a safe digital space is not the responsibility of any single agency, organisation or company; it requires whole‑of‑society cooperation.”

He proposed strengthening legal frameworks and support mechanisms and completing legal corridors to prevent and combat online violence, while building effective mechanisms to support victims.

Practical guidance is also needed. The National Cyber Security Association and the platform chongluadao.vn have collaborated to develop a Digital Safety Handbook comprising several modules, including risk recognition, data protection, fraud prevention and building an information security strategy.

Many experts recommend integrating digital skills and digital safety education into formal curricula at schools, agencies and enterprises. These programmes should mainstream gender so learners can identify and respond directly to technology‑enabled gender‑based violence.

In addition, media practitioners should identify and remove gender stereotypes from their content and imagery, creating a more inclusive online space that respects diversity.

Experts at the seminar noted that digital technology has provided women with a key to change their lives, escape poverty and take control of their futures.

But to realise the full value of technology, equipping women with an equal and robust digital shield is an indispensable step on the path to a sustainable and substantive digital society. — VNS