Intel calls for more support to increase the number of women having access to the Internet in developing countries, in order to boost job prospects and develop economies. The report, compiled from the result of researches and interviews with more than 2,000 women in Mexico, India, Egypt, and Uganda, revealed that a lot of women in the listed countries already depend on the worldwide web to find and apply for jobs. As such, increasing access might help boost the economy.

At the same time, Intel, which conducted the survey with the UN and the US State Department, discovered that women in these countries weren’t using the web to its full potential. In comparison to men, only a quarter of women were going on the Internet, which gave rise to a “second digital divide”. The tech company says that there are several reasons for this. First of all, women themselves didn’t believe it was even “appropriate” for them to go online, as a result of the cost involved in getting connected. Other factors are illiteracy among women and lack of awareness of the changes which being connected could make.

The report stated that apart from 600 million women in developing countries (almost 21%) already online, with a further 450 million expected to join them in three years, the total figure could be increased by 150 million. In order to do so, Intel is calling for change in women’s behavior on the Internet over the next few years. The company wants other industry players to get involved, asking them to make online access easier, and in some cases free, on mobile phones.

In the meanwhile, policymakers are asked to increase digital literacy among women. Although almost 80% of people in the United States have access to the web, compared to 11% of people in India, the tech giant claims there was still a gap when it came to online access in rural US areas.

Industry experts insist that the worldwide web is a key technology and everyone should know how to use it. They cited the Egypt uprising as a region where access to online data can mean a world of difference. In addition, Intel also thinks that women, if provided increased access to the web, could add $50 billion to $70 billion in potential new market opportunities.