Women all over the world are being celebrated on this day, March 8 2023 because it’s the International Women’s Day.
This year’s edition of the day specially set aside for women is unique because of its theme tagged, DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
This theme has brought to the fore the relevance of women in society and how they have made impact have untold contributions to the digital world in which we live in.
Considering some feats from the earliest days of computing to the present age of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, women make up only 22 per cent of artificial intelligence workers globally.
A global analysis of 133 AI systems across industries found that 44.2 per cent demonstrate gender bias.
There is also a survey of women journalists from 125 countries which found that 73 per cent had suffered online violence in the course of their work.
Interestingly, their accomplishments have been against all odds, in a field that has historically neither welcomed nor appreciated them.
According to UN Woman, today, a persistent gender gap in digital access keeps women from unlocking technology’s full potential.
This day has also led to some questions in the area of underrepresentation, governance, politics and other sectors in different countries.
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.
In the area of digital technology new doors have been open for the global empowerment of women, girls and other marginalized groups.
From gender-responsive digital learning to tech-facilitated sexual and reproductive healthcare,
The digital innovation has obviously triggered an opportunity to eliminate all forms of disparity and inequality.
Women after experiencing multiple crises are yearning for a chance to create a better future—not just for women and girls, but for all humanity and all life on Earth. Join us.
