UN Women has called on governments, activists and the private sector alike to power on in their efforts to make the digital world safer, more inclusive and more equitable.
Development Diaries reports that UN Women made the call against the backdrop of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD).
This year’s theme is ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’.
According to the United Nations, women make up only 22 percent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) workers globally. Also, a global analysis of 133 AI systems across industries found that 44.2 percent demonstrate gender bias.
Available data reveals that women in the tech industry constitute only 28 percent of professionals in the sector worldwide, and just 30 percent in sub-Saharan Africa.
In a 2021 report, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) cautioned that Africa’s inequality could worsen unless concrete action was taken to bridge the continent’s digital divide.
UN Women called on all stakeholders and partners to join in creating a better future, not just for women and girls, but for humanity.
‘Today, a persistent gender gap in digital access keeps women from unlocking technology’s full potential’, it said in a statement marking the day.
‘Their underrepresentation in STEM education and careers remains a major barrier to their participation in tech design and governance; and the pervasive threat of online gender-based violence – coupled with a lack of legal recourse – too often forces them out of the digital spaces they do occupy’.
It further stated that digital technology is opening new doors for the global empowerment of women, girls and other marginalised groups.
The UN entity added that the digital age represents an unprecedented opportunity to eliminate all forms of disparity and inequality – from gender-responsive digital learning to tech-facilitated sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Source: UN Women
Photo source: UNDP
