Honduran Access to Internet Data Visualization

This data visualization explores internet access in rural areas of Honduras from 2005-2021, highlighting the percentage of women and men connected to the internet. Drawing data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL)'s CepalSTATS, the project rethinks traditional approaches to data visualization through the lens of care and growth. By focusing on how women and men interact through care dynamics, it challenges conventional narratives that emphasize setbacks or present gendered data in isolation.

Visualization

Link: https://editor.p5js.org/ThaisAlvarengaMedina/sketches/byyBE5jsm

Informed by Data Feminism by Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein, this project addresses two major issues in how Honduran data is visualized—particularly gendered data—is typically visualized. Firstly current visualizations often focus on negative aspects such as crime and gender inequality, overlooking the achievements of Honduran women, like their higher educational attainment compared to men. While these issues are critical for policy, such a lens fails to capture a more nuanced narrative, one that highlights potential for growth. This project emphasizes alternative ways of reading data, focusing on how to facilitate progress rather than dwelling on setbacks.

The project also challenges the binary representation of gender in data visualizations, which often separates male and female categories, ignoring the relational dynamics between genders. The data reveals that women in Honduras often take on the role of teaching technological skills to their families, including men. This care-driven dynamic, where women pass down knowledge, enhances not only their own connectivity but that of the men around them. Traditional visualizations miss this nuanced interaction by focusing on gender divisions rather than interdependencies. By intersecting male and female data points, this project highlights how women’s increased connectivity to the internet uplifts the connectivity of their entire community, including men.