Whose Digital Future? Women, Choice, and the Limits of Access
About the session
Digital solutions are often positioned as powerful tools to address social and economic challenges for the most vulnerable. However, access to technology alone does not guarantee meaningful use or positive impact for poor people. Too often, digital products are designed around perceived needs rather than the real priorities, constraints, and capabilities of the people they aim to serve.
In many cases, digital interventions overlook existing practices and solutions that already work well for women, resulting in low uptake, limited engagement, and missed opportunities for impact. This session will explore why this happens and why digital agency—the ability to make informed, meaningful choices about if, how, and when to use digital tools—must be central to digital development efforts, particularly for women.
This session, co-hosted by Trickle Up and CARE USA, explores what digital agency looks like in practice, particularly in the context of livelihoods programs.
Who this is for
This discussion will be especially relevant for individuals and organizations seeking to better understand, measure, and support digital agency as a pathway to women’s economic empowerment and resilience.
The session is designed for those involved in shaping programmes and investments in international development, including:
Bilateral and multilateral donors
Philanthropic funders and foundations
International NGOs
Private sector actors (especially mobile network operators and financial service providers)
Research institutions
Panelists
The panel brings together thought leaders who are thinking about this topic from a variety of angles:
Wendy Chamberlin, Senior Advisor, Trickle Up
Christian Pennotti, Executive Director, Digital Impact Hub, Program Strategy and Impact, CARE
Graham Wright, Managing Director, MicroSave (MSC)
Alesha Miller, Vice President, Digital Green
What you will get out of it
A deeper understanding of why access to digital tools alone does not guarantee meaningful use or impact for women
Insight into the concept of digital agency and why choice, context, and capability must be central to digital development efforts
A clearer picture of common pitfalls in digital programme design, including overlooking women’s existing practices and priorities
Practical reflections to help donors, NGOs, and practitioners design and support digital interventions that better align with women’s real needs and constraints