In Spain, the digital gender gap does not lie in the use of digital technology; in fact, women use digital technology to a greater extent than men (Mateos-Sillero & Gómez-Hernández, 2019). In contrast, differences are observed in favour of men in the perception of their technoethical, information, technology, multimedia and communication skills, and in their attitude regarding technology. 

Although this gap can be detected from childhood (Amor & Serrano, 2019), in Spain we lack quantitative studies in the sphere of secondary education that provide information regarding the real measure of this gap and its evolution during the different educational key stages (from compulsory secondary education to the sixth form). The secondary phase is crucial, given that it is the period when students forge their identity and educational institutions strive to accompany them in the evolution of their digital competence (European Commission, 2020). 

For this reason it is necessary to ask: is there a digital divide in the uses, attitude and perception of digital competence? How does this evolve during the key stages of secondary education? In what specific aspects do differences exist and in favour of which gender? Answering these questions is essential to help minimise the differences that exist and, in turn, to optimise institutional training and programmes dedicated to developing digital competence in all of its dimensions.

In order to prepare this study, during the 2021-2022 academic year, a survey was conducted among 3,954 Spanish secondary-school students – across key stages 3 and 4 and the sixth form – in which they were asked about their level of use of digital technology and the need that they feel, both to connect to the internet and to use digital devices (tablets, mobiles, etc.). The answers are shown in figure 1, grouped by use and dependency.

Firstly, it is observed that the use of technology is different for the two genders and it evolves differently for them in each stage of secondary education. In general, boys use technology more in key stage 4 (corresponding to Year 11), although their use is quite constant, and girls more in the sixth form. In these last two academic years, the difference between girls and boys is statistically significant. 

In second place, with respect to dependency on, or need to use technology, girls indicate a greater need for use than boys (over 3.5 points out of 5), in a significant way across all the key stages; in other words, girls perceive themselves as more dependent on digital devices and the internet than their male peers. 

Therefore, if a gender gap favourable to boys really exists in the digital technology sphere, this does not lie in its use, so it is important to measure the possible differences in competence and attitude aspects.

According to the above graph, boys and girls use digital technologies in similar ways, but girls obtain higher values of perceived dependency, which increase with each key stage. 

Digital competence, which is composed of different skills, is a complex concept. Specifically, it can include technoethical, information, technology, multimedia and communication or relational aspects. If such aspects are analysed in detail (figure 2), the existence is confirmed of a gap in which girls perceive themselves as more competent than their peers in matters related to cybersecurity and online bullying. This difference increases with each key stage, reaching 6 percentage points in the sixth form.

In contrast, the differences that testify to the existence of a gender gap in favour of boys are visible in two of the skills that make up digital competence: technology and communication skills (figure 2). Boys consider themselves more competent in technical aspects (use of hardware, Wi-Fi, etc.) and also more capable of collaborating and communicating with each other online. An example of this would be the creation of a video CV, or the expression of their opinions in forums. The differences between boys and girls by the end of the sixth form exceed 4 percentage points.

As observed in the above graph, girls show themselves to be more competent in technoethics and boys in technology and communication skills. In general, skills increase in each phase, except in the case of technoethics. 

Finally, it is necessary to analyse the last aspect of the gender gap: attitude. Different studies (Fernández-Miravete, 2018; Jan et al., 2017) indicate that it is not sufficient to perceive oneself as competent in a subject, but that a positive attitude is required to be able to apply these skills to practice. In attitude regarding technology use among secondary students, differences are also observed in relation to the digital gender gap. 

In this case, as indicated in figure 3, although both genders tend towards a positive attitude regarding digital technology (between 3.80 and 3.95 points out of 5), boys report a more positive attitude in all stages of secondary education: they consider that digital tools facilitate learning and are simple to use. Even so, the differences between genders are minimal and are only significant in key stage 4 of compulsory secondary education (Year 11), where a difference of 3 percentage points between boys and girls is registered. 

Thus, as can be observed in the graph below, the attitude towards digital technology worsens with each key stage, while girls show a slightly more negative attitude than boys. 

This study analyses gender differences in the dimensions of digital technology use, digital skills and attitude towards technology. The results show that, although the use of technology is similar between boys and girls, dependency on digital technologies is greater among the latter, especially in the sixth form. With regard to the skills that make up digital competence, boys feel more competent in the domain of technology per se, which can determine the choice of technical and computer studies and can also influence the communication aspect. This differential increases as boys move up from year to year. In contrast, girls are more competent in the technoethical dimension, given that they are more aware with regard to aspects such as cyberbullying and plagiarism, especially in the sixth form. As for their attitude towards technology, boys are slightly more positive than their female peers, although in the sixth form the differences are attenuated. 

This gender gap in the different areas related with technology can generate situations of inequality. On the one hand, the perception of a greater technological competence on the part of boys may determine that they often choose scientific-technical courses, related to computer science. On the other, the lesser competence in technoethics of boys suggests that it is necessary to strive to make them more aware, for example, of cyberbullying and plagiarism.

Therefore it is necessary that, within secondary education, personalised strategies are developed that give a response to the different needs detected, in order to thus reverse inequalities and ensure that all students, regardless of gender, can develop their digital competence.

AMOR, M. I., and R. SERRANO (2019): «An evaluation of Primary-School pupils’ Digital Competence», Revista Espacios, 40(21).

EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2020): Plan de Acción de Educación Digital 2021-2027.

FERNÁNDEZ MIRAVETE, Ángel D. (2018): «La competencia digital del alumnado de Educación Secundaria en el marco de un proyecto educativo TIC (1:1)». Edutec. Revista Electrónica de Tecnología Educativa, (63), 60-72.

JAN, S. (2017): «Investigating the relationship between Students’ Digital Literacy and Their Attitude towards Using ICT», International Journal of Educational Technology, 5(2), 26-34.

MATEOS-SILLERO, S., and C. GÓMEZ-HERNÁNDEZ (2019): Libro blanco de las mujeres en el ámbito tecnológico, Ministerio de Economía y Empresa.