Abstract:

Nowadays, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have an increasingly presence in all areas of society; this requires the introduction of different actions to promote the incorporation of ITC to the life of all citizens to ensure that there is no digital gap resulting in exclusion of certain groups.
From this need arises Plan Avanza, aimed at achieving the suitable use of the ITC to contribute to the success of an economic growth model based on the increase of the competitiveness and the productivity, the promotion of social and regional equality and the improvement of the welfare and quality of life of citizens. This Plan, which was passed by the Council of Ministers on November 4, 2005, and that is conceived as a plan of development of the European Union, places in the strategic axis of the National Reform Programme designed by the Government to comply with the Lisbon’s Strategy of the year 2000. Its main goal is to turn the common market into the most competitive and dynamic economy of the world. Particularly, in the Spanish State, the Plan Avanza is integrated into the strategic axis to impulse the R&D&I (Research & Development & innovation) that the Government has started through the Ingenio Programme 2010.
Its structure is articulated in four areas of action: Advancing Citizenship, Digital Economy, Public Digital Services, and New Digital Context. Its has included more than 600 actions which has been carried out in collaboration with organisms of the General Administration of the State, the Autonomous Communities and Cities, the Local Entities and Non-Profit Entities.
In the Advancing Citizenship area, there is contemplated an action designed to promote the incorporation of women into the Information Society, to avoid the differences between these and men.
The aim of this paper is to carry out an analysis of this field, and of the different existing proposals in order to avoid the mentioned digital gap between women and men.

Keywords:

information society (is), information and communication technologies (ict), gender, digital gap.