What is International Women’s Day
Yearly, International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March to provide an opportunity to reflect on previous progress, call for action and celebrate the actions of determination and courage by women who played a crucial role in the change of their society. It is time to celebrate the achievements of women whether social, cultural, educational, political, or economic.
Innovation and technology for gender equality
The theme for the UN International Women’s Day this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. It is aligned with the priority theme for the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital era for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023 will examine the impact of the gender gap in the digital sector on large socio-economic inequalities.
The challenges women face in the digital age
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital gender gap isolated women, especially rural women from society. Since many women did not have access to digital platforms, the voices and representation of women in rural communities were neglected in the change to hold conversations online. Thus, the UN and the CSW found out the challenges of technology in inclusion that women continue to face in the digital period. These include the threats of climate change, especially for those whose livelihood depends on natural environments. It will highlight the rights of girls and women in digital platforms and address online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence.
In the age of the digital revolution, there is a risk of perpetuating existing ways of gender inequality. Growing inequalities with women being left behind in the context of access to technology and digital skills are the result of the digital gender divide. Thus, the need for digital literacy, transformative technology, and inclusivity is critical for a sustainable future. According to the World Bank Group, accelerating gender equality is a key to development, including climate action.
How to lessen gender inequality with digital education
A gender-responsive approach to digital education, information, and technology can improve the awareness of girls and women for their civic rights and engagements. Development in digital technology can offer a large opportunity to solve development and humanitarian challenges to achieve the 2030 SDGs. It is found that bringing women and other marginalized groups into technology lead to more creative solutions with a larger potential for innovations to promote gender equality. UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 report stated that the exclusion of women from digital spaces has shaved $ 1 trillion in low and middle-income countries from the GDP in the last decade. Without reliable action, the loss will rise to $1.5 trillion by 2025. Tackling that issue will require solving the problem of cyberbullying, which 38% of women had personal experience as per a study of 51 countries.
How can you involve in IWD2023?
There are many ways to participate as an individual or collectively to #EmbraceEquity.
The first thing is you can attend an event online or in-person to connect with allies and spread the message. Furthermore, you can learn more about gender-based violence, the feminist movement, and the fight for gender equality throughout history through books or online resources.As an individual, you can educate your friends and family by sharing the knowledge you know through social media or digital platforms. It is also a great chance to join online or offline campaigns and raise awareness to celebrate the women leaders or gender equality movements.
All in all, IWD is not limited to gender or identity. As feminism is not about making the lives of women better and its goal is to break gender stereotypes and roles, achieving gender equality is as important for men as women.
References
https://iwda.org.au/take-action/international-womens-day/