Unlocking HER potential: Gender equality through equitable access to assistive technology

Access to assistive technology enables the full enjoyment of human rights and is a critical precondition for achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. Assistive technology can be life-changing for women and girls, enabling autonomy, communication, equal opportunities, and meaningful participation in all aspects of life, including education, employment, family, and public life. Despite this transformative potential, access to assistive technology remains deeply unequal and persistently gendered.

This policy paper uses the 5Ps framework (People, Products, Provision, Personnel, and Policy) to examine how gender inequities are embedded across five interconnected dimensions of assistive technology systems. It draws on more than 240 survey responses from individuals and organizations across nearly 50 countries, in addition to country-level consultations, a literature review, and expert input. Together, this evidence reveals that the barriers to assistive technology access are not merely technical: they are social, economic, and structural.

To ensure equitable access, systems must centre the voices and realities of women and girls, especially those with disabilities, and address the intersecting barriers they face across the 5Ps.

The publication concludes with targeted, evidence-based recommendations for national governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders.