GENDER AND DIGITAL EXCLUSION IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN ANGOLA: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the dynamics of gender-based digital exclusion within the higher education subsystem in Angola, investigating how this phenomenon goes beyond the mere barrier of physical access to constitute a considerably more complex reality. Although the higher education system has undergone accelerated quantitative expansion in recent years, this massification has not been accompanied by adequate investment in technological infrastructure. With regard to the gender dimension, the research identifies a veiled marginalization, sustained by the fallacy of technological neutrality. While universities claim to promote equality, social norms persist that favor the male trajectory, associating technology with a supposed natural aptitude in men to the detriment of women. For female Angolan students, the financial precariousness of families, who often prioritize their children's schooling, compounds the high cost of connectivity, creating a double barrier to their full digital integration. In conclusion, digital literacy is emphasized as an indispensable prerequisite for the exercise of citizenship and for employability in today's labor market. Overcoming gender-based digital exclusion in Angola requires that educational institutions abandon the academic silence surrounding disguised sexism. It is imperative to invest in public policies that transform the digital domain into an instrument of emancipation and social equity, ensuring that technological tools serve as a genuine driver of human development and national scientific progress.