Seek a digitally equal world and leave no girl, woman behind
A woman uses a laptop. A new study by MasterCard shows that women-owned SSMEs lead the way in tapping into the power of the digital economy.
What you need to know:
- This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity; the IWD website says a focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society’s DNA.
- The campaign theme is meant to ignite a conversation on “Why equal opportunities aren’t enough”.
- The UN theme for this year’s IWD is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”; the UN declared internet access a basic human right in 2016.
Today is International Women’s Day (IWD), a day that observes women’s achievements in various fields. It also marks a call for a gender-equal world, free of stereotypes and discrimination; a world that values and celebrates differences.
This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity. The IWD website says a focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society’s DNA. The campaign theme is meant to ignite a conversation on “Why equal opportunities aren’t enough”. Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs.
The United Nations (UN) theme for this year’s IWD is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. The UN declared internet access a basic human right in 2016.
The UN says equal access to the Internet is a key gender equality goal. Unfortunately, however, more than 55 per cent of the world’s population, majority of whom are women, still don’t use it because of lack of infrastructure and inability to afford smart devices. Women continue to lag behind men in their use of digital technologies.
A Unicef report says 90 per cent of jobs in the world today have a digital component; and are only available to the digitally able, thus to more men than women.
The report further says that in developing countries, only 41 per cent of women have access to the Internet, compared with 53 per cent of men. Women are 20 per cent less likely to own a smartphone. The report also says boys are 1.5 times more likely to own a mobile phone, and 1.8 times more likely to own a smartphone than girls.
Bridging the digital gender gap requires smart interventions specially designed for girls and women. In the current context, digital literacy for women is a necessity if Kenya is to achieve the ultimate goal of gender equality.
There is a need for a favourable policy environment to promote women and girls’ digital empowerment. Their representation in digital spaces is an essential component of our economic advancement.
As the world digitises further, most jobs now require some knowledge of digital technology. There are vast opportunities for girls and women to power Kenya’s digital economy.
Access to digital technology for a young woman can be a game changer with multiplier effects. Many are disrupting the Internet space and bridging the digital divide (See pages 4-5). Their efforts give us hope that digitally empowered women will lead this transformation in Kenya.
They are thriving on the online space, including YouTube, podcasts and TikTok.
IWD gives us a chance to appreciate such women and girls, and acknowledge their success, contributions and achievements.
Looking at the latest metrics, I am optimistic. While a gender-equal future is years away, the progress made so far is worthy of recognition.
Let’s pledge to keep the momentum going and support diversity and equality in digital spaces. It is everyone’s responsibility to #EmbraceEquity. Happy IWD!
