#BTColumn – Access and safety

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Wayne Campbell

“Empowering girls to choose a career in ICTs is not just good for girls and their families, it can be a major accelerator of socio-economic development at the national level.” – Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau.

Historically, girls and young women were not encouraged to enter the career paths associated with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) approximately 1 billion girls and women lack skills to succeed in today’s digital world.

These statistics are even more troubling when one considers that in some countries such as Afghanistan girls are forcibly discouraged from accessing an education by the Taliban-led government.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 addresses gender equality. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

There has been progress over the last decades: More girls are going to school, fewer girls are forced into early marriage, more women are serving in parliament and
positions of leadership and laws are being reformed to advance gender equality.

Despite these gains, many challenges remain: discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive, women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of political leadership, and one in five women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period.

A UNESCO report states that only 35 per cent of STEM students in higher education globally are women and differences are observed within STEM disciplines. For example, only three per cent of female students in higher education choose information and communication technologies studies.

UNESCO added that this gender disparity is troubling and alarming; especially as STEM careers are often viewed as the jobs of the future. However, in this new paradigm shift girls’ access to technology and connectivity have become a priority for most governments.

The UN Women states that girls’ access to, and engagement in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and STEM is more crucial now than ever.

The COVID-19 pandemic and multiple crisis in the education systems globally have created multiple challenges to young women and girls to learn.

Undoubtedly, access to technology should not be based on one’s gender. The time has come for the international community to break the gender stereotypes and subsequent inequalities which result from these barriers.

Every girl regardless of nationality, socio-economic background has a right to be connected and to play her part in shaping a more equal and technologically driven world.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimates that within the next 10 years, there will be more than two million technology jobs that cannot be filled because of a lack of digital specialists.

April 28, International Girls in ICT Day, established by ITU and celebrated in over 150 countries around the world, celebrates girls and young women and encourages them to pursue studies and careers in the technology sector through training of coding, development of mobile applications and IT. Appropriately, the theme this year is Access and Safety.

On this International Girls in ICT Day, we must redouble our collective efforts in order to support and prioritise girls’ access to technology. Our policy makers should also ensure that textbooks are representative of girls working in the areas of Information and Communications Technology.

The international community must ensure that a safe digital global community is available for girls and young women. May all girls everywhere be empowered on this International Girls in ICT Day in order to bridge the gender digital divide.

In the words of Michelle Obama, there is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.

Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #GirlsInICT #STEM