BY MEHARI BEYENE –
Digital technology has never been more integral to peoples’ lives. Coronavirus( COVID-19) pandemic has accelerated this trend, with many industries, from employment to education and from banking to health services in bid to switching to online formats, according to UN Women report.
During lockdowns and social distancing, online ordering became a means of procuring essentials such as food and medicines. Digital technology has become a lifeline for millions around the world, as well as a critical tool for coping with the crisis and its aftermath. While it is unknown how long the COVID-19 pandemic will last, what is sure is that it has permanently altered perceptions of what can be done in a digital format.
In many industries, the switch to digital technology will remain a long-term if not permanent, in terms of cost-reduction and time-saving measure. At the same time, the pandemic is exposing digital divides, highlighting the damaging implications of exclusion from the digital world. Never has it been more vital to examine the role of women and girls who are using, studying and working in digital technology. Around the world, women are under-represented in the ICT employment sector.
However, this trend begins early on, with a gender gap in STEM education, which translates to fewer girls and women pursuing careers related to science and technology. Less exposure to STEM correlates with diminished technological literacy overall. Furthermore, over 90 per cent of jobs worldwide already have some digital component and many will soon require sophisticated digital skills. Around the world, science and technology are the fastest growing industries and have significantly higher wages, it said.
Meaningfully, digital technology professionals in Europe are also relatively unaffected by unemployment. According to research by the European Institute for Gender Equality, narrowing the gender gap in STEM education could create up to 1.2 million more jobs and increase long-term gross domestic product by up to 820 billion EUR by 2050. While demand for technology professionals is growing, there is a shortage of workers to support those industries.
Moreover, analysis of gender and ICT is also critical in a world where every aspect of people’s lives is shaped by technology. Unless the involvement of girls and women in technology increases, the kinds of products, services and platforms that are being created will not address the needs of half the population, such as applications or platforms that do not sufficiently address privacy concerns or that expose sensitive information, thereby making women vulnerable to harassment or violence, it said.
The result is a “vicious cycle”, in which “gender inequality leads to digital inequality, which further entrenches gender inequality. This report focuses on women, girls and ICT in eight Eastern European countries: five Balkan States such as, Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia and three Eastern Partnership countries including, Ukraine, Georgia, and Republic of Moldova.
It further said that these countries were selected because they are Member States of the International Telecommunication Union regional office for Europe that were considered for potential assistance. While they range in size, at 42 million inhabitants, Ukraine is the eighth largest country in Europe, while Montenegro is one of the smallest, with a population of 622 000. And they have many characteristics in common.
However, all eight countries have a relatively high degree of access and connectivity, yet the divide in digital skills exacerbates existing societal chasms. Furthermore, large gender gaps in participation in the ICT industry has an impact on national and regional economies. Without targeted action, gender gaps will only be exacerbated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each of these eight countries is also a signatory or participant in relevant international frameworks, including the Beijing +25 Political Declaration, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its Sustainable Development Goals, and the Generation Equality campaign, created to accelerate gender equality actions and to mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action it said.
Furthermore, increasing the involvement of girls and women in digital technology responds to multiple sustainable development goals, including Goal 4 on quality education, Goal 5 on gender equality, Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth and Goal 10 on reduced inequalities.
Relevant regional frameworks include the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans, the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention and regional communities such as the European Network of Women in Digital. In 2019, the European Union launched the EU4Digital initiative to extend the benefits of its digital single market to Eastern Partnership States, including Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova.
Highly, the initiative aims to support the reduction of roaming tariffs and encourage the development of high-speed broadband, ICT research and innovation, and digital skills, among other priority areas. It includes a gender-based impact analysis and strives for gender equal participation in all initiative activities.7 In the Western Balkans, the 2019 Digital Summit recognized the importance of digital skills in closing gender gaps and boosting employability.8To make good on these initiatives, it is critical to examine barriers and enablers to girls’ and women’s participation in studying science and technology and working in ICT-related fields, as well as digital literacy and access.
In sum, the report contains three main sections: the first section examines gender and acquisition of digital skills, with emphasis on girls and young women in formal and informal education, including a focus on technology access as a prerequisite for gaining digital skills; the second section looks at gender equality in the ICT industry, including both established companies and start-up ecosystems; and the third section examines digital violence against women, including the use of technology itself to fight both online and offline violence.
But, emphasis is placed on the root causes of gendered digital divides, as well as on recommendations and best practices for addressing those gaps at national, regional and international levels. And norms are changing quickly and that the post-COVID-19 world may be significantly different. While the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate existing social and gender inequities, it also has the potential to reshape the world order. With the right policies in place, the social and economic disruption can serve as a catalyst, transforming women and girls’ involvement in the global technology revolution that is already underway, it said.
The Ethiopian Herald June 18 /2021
