Bridging the Digital Divide: A Mixed Methods Study of Gendered Access, Infrastructure, and Digital Literacy in Rural Morocco

The digital divide in rural African contexts remains a critical barrier to inclusive development, with gendered dimensions poorly understood. Rural Morocco presents a pertinent case where infrastructural expansion has not guaranteed equitable digital participation, particularly for women. This study investigates the interconnected barriers to digital inclusion for women in rural Morocco, specifically analysing the relationships between physical access, mobile infrastructure quality, and gendered digital literacy. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was employed. A stratified household survey (n=420) provided quantitative data on access and usage patterns. This was followed by 32 in-depth interviews and 6 focus group discussions to explore lived experiences and contextual factors shaping digital engagement. Quantitatively, while 78% of households reported mobile internet coverage, only 34% of women were regular users, compared to 67% of men. Qualitatively, three key themes emerged: infrastructural reliability as a prerequisite, social norms governing 'appropriate' use, and literacy gaps extending beyond basic operational skills to critical evaluation and content creation. The digital divide is a multi-layered phenomenon where technical infrastructure, social structures, and individual capability intersect to disproportionately exclude rural women. Effective inclusion requires moving beyond connectivity metrics to address these embedded socio-technical barriers. Policy must integrate technical infrastructure projects with community-based digital literacy programmes designed for and with women. Telecommunications regulators should mandate gender-disaggregated coverage and quality-of-service data. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to track the efficacy of integrated interventions. Digital divide, gender, digital inclusion, rural development, Morocco, mixed methods This study provides a novel, integrated analysis of the technical and social dimensions of the digital divide, introducing a validated framework for assessing gendered digital inclusion in rural African settings.