International Women’s Day is approaching, and the United Nations is making an appeal on this occasion: On March 8, 2023, let’s also focus on the persistent digital gender gap that prevents women from harnessing the full potential of technology.. “Their under-representation in STEM education and careers remains a major barrier to their participation in technology development and management,” the release says. women from the digital space they occupy.”
Our lives are becoming more digitized every year, and yet women continue to be under-represented “in the creation, use and regulation of technology”.. This means that they not only do not fully exploit the potential of technological progress, but also remain behind, excluded from an area that will become increasingly important. According to the United Nations, women are less likely to use digital services and pursue tech-related careers. Conversely, they are significantly more likely to experience online harassment and violence, which fuels a vicious cycle. Today, 63% of women have access to the Internet compared to 69% of men, plus women are 12% less likely to own a mobile phone, and this figure is almost unchanged from before the pandemic. The gap is largest in less developed countries, where men are 52% more likely to be part of the 25% of the population connected to the Internet. This has significant implications: over the past 10 years, the exclusion of women from the digital sphere has led to a reduction in GDP of $ 1 trillion, specifically in low- and middle-income countries.
The problem is self-reproducing. Women have less access to the Internet and therefore contribute little to the development and transformation of technology. Currently women remain a minority in both education and STEM: Only 28% of engineering graduates, 22% of AI workers and less than a third of tech sector employees globally. “Technology reflects its creators,” says UN Women. “So when women and girls are excluded from the spaces of technology and innovation, it’s no surprise that digital tools don’t meet their needs.”
Hence the tech world is often hostile to women: The pay gap is 21%, promotion rates are significantly lower (52 women for every 100 men), and 48% of women in tech report workplace harassment. Similarly, gender-based violence is very prevalent in online spaces, which causes women to self-censor, leave platforms, and switch off, refusing to participate in debates. According to the United Nations, it is important to conduct labor market activities aimed at engaging women in the technology sector, legally protect women in the digital world, and culturally and educationally promote digital literacy, STEM careers, and respectful and conscious digital living. . “On March 8, we call on governments, activists and the private sector to step up their efforts to make the digital world safer, more inclusive and fairer.”Faced with multiple global crises, we have an opportunity to create a better future not just for women and girls, but for all humanity and all life on Earth,” UN Women said in a statement.
Source: Elle