International Women’s’ Day 2023 will explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities and to recognize the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence.
With Agenda 2030 commitment to gender equality across all sectors of development, how innovation and digital technology empower women and girls must be understood. Promoting girls’ digital literacy and closing the digital gender gap will play an important role in achieving gender equality and promoting the rights of girls and women worldwide.
The COVID-19 pandemic͕ opened our eyes on how the use of technology is the “new normal”. The technological advancement can be noticed in the increased uptake of online shopping, as well as the introduction of digital contactless payment systems, remote working and video conferencing, the technological advancement has also caused to shine more light on how serious the gender gap in Information communication and Technology is and how the lack of digital literacy has increased all economic and social inequalities.
There is a gender digital divide: Women girls are disadvantaged when it comes to digital adoption, have lower levels of access to and use of digital technology than boys and men, and often are not benefitting from digital technology in the same way as boys, there is also a large gender gap in the number of women and men employed in the ICT sector with unequal economic outputs, fewer opportunities for professional growth, and difficulty in accessing leadership positions. This persistent gender gap in digital access keeps women from unlocking technology’s full potential.
Failing to tackle these challenges will lead to the absence of women and girls at all stages of technological use and design and reproducing digital inequalities.
Call to Action
- As CSOs and policy makers, we need to Identify and address key obstacles to digital access.
- Adopt a gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology and digital education to increase the awareness of women and girls regarding their rights and democratic engagement.
- There is need for inclusive and transformative technology and digital education for a sustainable future.
- Make socio-cultural factors central to every solution and challenging limiting gender stereotypes in digital inclusion design.
- Empower girls and women to participate meaningfully in the design, research and development of tools and approaches that will address this digital divide, when women and girls play an active role, solutions are more equitable and holistic.
- Make digital environments safe for women and girls. Safety is a justifiable concern for girls and women in online spaces. The digital world reflects the diversity of the physical world, and girls experience many of the same forms of violence, harassment and abuse online as they do elsewhere.
