A Systematic Review of the Digital Divide Experienced by Migrant Women

Digital divide as an academic term captures the inequality involved in the access and usage of digital devices as well as real-life consequences of the imbalance. Concerning migrant women who suffer from the digital divide, there have been extensive studies focusing on the affordances and benefits of having digital access. The problematic side of digital divide and factors leading to such divide, however, are understudied. Therefore, a systematic review is conducted to investigate the digital divide items and factors from the existing literature. Studies (n = 19) were selected by searching through six social science databases of using the search words combination of “digital gap” and “digital divide,” “migrant,” “immigration” and “immigration,” and “female” and “women.” Findings suggest that concerning the access and utilization (level 1, 2 of digital divide), items such as poor network of the home country and factors such as patriarchal ICT culture hamper the access and usage of digital tools. Concerning the outcome of utilization (level 3 of digital divide), migrant service access and urban integration have been undermined. This review shows that digital divide experiences of migrant women have been understudied, and therefore we recommend that more empirical research, with multiple types of data and longitudinal design, in various immigrant-dense countries, should be conducted by adopting the theoretical lenses of lived experience and intersectionality, so that more voices of these women can be heard. In addition, needs assessment based on our identified digital divide factors should be conducted before the training programs for migrant women so as to more effectively bridge the digital divide.