The United Nations is observing International Women’s Day today, March 8, 2023, under the theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.” Concerning this, the UN will celebrate women and girls in the digital world and will “explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities.”
Concerning the digital gender gap, the United Nations and UN Women shared the following statistics:
Only 63 per cent of women are using the Internet in 2022 compared to 69 per cent of men (ITU, Nov22)By 2050, 75% of jobs will be related to STEM areas. Yet today, women hold just 22% of positions in artificial intelligence, to name just one. (WEF Report)A study of 51 countries revealed 38 per cent of women had personally experienced online violence. (2022 Gender Snapshot Report)
To address the foregoing, UN Women is making four calls to action:
Remove all barriers to access to the digital worldEducate and train women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)Enable women to create tech that meets their needsEliminate online gender-based violence
See also
According to UN Women, “If women are unable to access the Internet and do not feel safe online, they are unable to develop the necessary digital skills to engage in digital spaces, which diminishes their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”
In addition, “Bringing women into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality.”
“Their lack of inclusion, by contrast, comes with massive costs,” UN Women concluded.
Discussion about this post