International Women's Day: ICT and Gender

Year on year, International Women’s Day is certainly a powerful moment and is increasing in status. A centennial oppression against women and inequality issues spurred women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change.

One of the trailblazers for women's rights, Clara Zetkin a German Marxist theorist advocated for the idea of an International Women's Day. As a woman right activist and politician, she led the ‘Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany until 1971.

Zetkin's actions and that of many others resulted in the first observance of International Women's Day in 1975 by the United Nations. In December of 1977, the General Assembly (GA) adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States.  Every year the day is observed with a specific theme in mind to ignite the respect for women and to raise awareness of gender parity. However, there is still battles that needs to be worn.  

Understanding how gender plays a vital role in innovation and technology this year’s theme, “#DigitalAll: Innovation and technology for gender equality”, is aligned to the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) which already kicked off at the UN Headquarters in New York on 6 until 17 March 2023. The CSW67 focus on “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.” And although, the world has witnessed a momentous change and attitudinal shift towards the advancement of women, more women however should be welcomed and encouraged to be educated within the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Speaking at the International Women’s Day commemoration hosted at the Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC) informal settlement in Swakopmund, Ms. Hopolang Phororo highlighted that “Every woman and girl in this country deserves the chance to live up to their full God-given potential, because improving the status of women and girls strengthens economies, democracies and societies. It is also a strategic imperative, that advances the prosperity, stability, security and social wellbeing of the Namibian nation, at large. In addition, women, girls, and gender diverse people play an invaluable role in building a fairer and more inclusive future with equal opportunity for everyone in Namibia. Recognizing the important role that women and girls play in the attainment of Agenda 2030, just seven years away means that during this Decade of Action, we must include women, who comprise 50% of the population and girls in the development of our societies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we leapfrogged into the digital space and realized the inequalities in access that prevail, not only globally, but also in our country. This year's observance invites us to reflect on our achievements and to renew our efforts to advance dignity, equality, and limitless possibilities for all.” 

While noting the rising global-scale influence of technology, unfortunately women are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, and this poses new challenges at the dawn of the era of digital transformation. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2021 report indicates that globally, gender remains a factor in disparity, where 62% of men use the internet compared to 57 % of women. In Africa, particularly a significant digital gender gap is noted, whereby only 24% of women use the internet compared to 35% of men. Consequently, African female participation continues to indicate significant gaps within Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) disciplines. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the enormous potential of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and the endless socio-economic benefits to Africans and especially to women and girls.

Recognizing the knowledge and innovation that girls and women bring from participating in STEM means that a lifecycle approach should be applied, starting from Early Childhood Development to tertiary and higher education. Gone are the days, when science and mathematics were the domain of boys and men, however this still has to be accompanied with changes in values and attitudes of teachers, parents and societies, at large.

As indicated by the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres in his annual statement, "...in too many places around the world, women and girls’ access to education is limited or denied.” Furthermore “Women’s progress in scientific careers, inequalities discrimination continues to thwart their potential; women make up under a third of the workforce across science, technology, engineering, and math’s and even less in cutting edge fields. And just one in five professionals working on Artificial Intelligence is a woman”.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) needs a strong science base and cannot be accomplished without girls and women. It is critical to strive to ensure both, quality and parity in science. More women and girls in science equals better science.

UN Namibia welcome more interventions, such as Namibia African Connected Girls initiative, efforts that UN and stakeholders invest in narrowing the digital gap by empowering young African women and girls with the necessary technical skills to succeed in education, employment, and entrepreneurship. Developing and strengthening collaboration​​ and partnerships accelerate the rate of change and advocates for data-driven strategies, actionable steps to increase the representation of women and girls in engineering and computing fields.