The Nordic countries are among the most advanced regions in the world when it comes to digitalisation. To fully participate in the society, it is necessary to be a part of the digital society as well. But not everyone has the resources to benefit equally from digitalisation: for example, some immigrant groups are at risk of being digitally excluded. Digital inclusion is therefore a crucial part of successful integration into the Nordics.
This report summarises and builds on results from the Nordregio research project
Digital Inclusion in Action, which aims to develop an understanding of digital inclusion in the Nordic and Baltic region. This report also incorporates new empirical material to provide a more focused analysis on the digital inclusion of immigrant women.
Immigrant women are, according to research, one of the groups that have a higher risk of becoming digitally excluded. While not all immigrant women are at risk, we have learned that newly arrived and refugee women with limited national language proficiency or lower socioeconomic backgrounds face the biggest challenges.
The report is divided into two parts. Firstly, it explores the national policies of digital inclusion in the Nordic countries and how they address the needs of immigrant women. Secondly, the report sheds some light on barriers that prevent immigrant women from fully accessing and engaging in the digital society.
With this report we want to highlight the strong link between digital inclusion and migrants’ integration to society, wellbeing, and potential to contribute to the new country. The Nordic countries have a common challenge of ensuring that refugees and immigrants establish themselves in their new societies. Without digital capabilities and access to the digital world it is difficult to fully participate – to receive public information and services, to study, to find a job, and even to build and maintain social relationships.
It is our hope that the efforts presented in this report will offer inspiration and learnings across the Nordic countries on how national, regional, local, and civil society actors can promote digital inclusion of migrant women. Closing the digital divide is a key factor in achieving a socially sustainable, cohesive, and resilient Nordic region.
This study is a collaboration between the Nordic Welfare Centre and Nordregio and a part of the Nordic co-operation programme on integration, initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers. We would like to thank the researchers Maja Brynteson and Sigrid Jessen at Nordregio for their hard work on the report, and all informants for their contributions.
For more information about Nordic co-operation on integration and inclusion, please visit the Knowledge bank at
www.integrationnorden.org.