What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore how digitalisation in the Social and Solidarity Economy impacts gender distribution and competences.

February 9, 2026Open Access

Gendered digitalisation in the Social and Solidarity Economy

Key Points

The aim is to explore how digitalisation in the Social and Solidarity Economy impacts gender distribution and competences.
Data collected from 153 SSE organisations using the online questionnaire digitESSt.
Analysis of twelve digital competences and fourteen professional profiles.
Focus on the role of gender in the distribution of digital skills and job roles.
Disparities in digital competences were found, with women excelling in communication roles.
Technical roles such as programming remain predominantly male.
Some roles, like Community and Project Managers, show more gender equity.
Highlighting gaps in equality plans and underscoring the need for feminist approaches.

Abstract

This study examines digitalisation within the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) in Barcelona, focusing on the incorporation of digital professionals and competences and the reproduction of the sexual division of labour. It addresses the implications of digital solidarity economies for democratic digitalisation and gender justice, contrasting with capital accumulation logics. Data from 153 SSE organisations were collected via the online questionnaire digitESSt, developed within the MatchImpulsa programme promoted by Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Activa, and the Open University of Catalonia. Twelve digital competences, from basic to technical, and fourteen professional profiles were analysed. Results reveal uneven digital competences distribution and a marked gendered division of labour: women dominate communication-oriented competences, such as graphic and audiovisual information processing, while technical competences, including data processing and coding, remain largely male-dominated. Community Manager and Project Manager roles show relative gender balance, whereas Pprogrammer and Ssystems Aadministrator roles are strongly masculinised. The study highlights gaps in equality plans and anti-discrimination protocols, indicating that, despite its potential, the SSE in Barcelona reproduces gendered patterns of digital capitalism, underscoring the need for an intersectional feminist approach to digitalisation.

Gendered digitalisation in the Social and Solidarity Economy

Key Points

Abstract

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