Women experience privacy differently: towards a gender and inclusion by design (GEIBD) approach in Africa

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) enhances the efficiency of systems and services and offers significant opportunities to address pressing developmental challenges across African societies. However, the benefits of AI are not distributed equitably across genders, as women continue to experience distinct disadvantages. The negative implications of AI include the reinforcement of gender bias, widening of the gender digital divide, and privacy violations that disproportionately affect women. Drawing on findings from a project examining the intersections of gender, privacy, and AI in education, alongside insights from relevant literature and recent reports, this paper explores how women’s experiences of privacy differ from those of men. It argues that these differences would shape their engagement with AI technologies, particularly in Africa. The paper introduces a new framework, Gender Equality and Inclusion by Design (GEIbD), as a toolkit intended to support the systematic integration of gender and privacy considerations throughout the AI life cycle.