Happy International Women’s Day 2023! This year’s theme is DigitALL, the hot pursuit of gender equality in global innovation and technology spaces. But digital progress for women is inextricably linked to problems that plague all pursuits of gender equality: Mindsets and stereotypes. In this blog, we’ll explore the relationship between digital equality and offline realities at home.
What it means to bring women and other marginalized groups into the digital tech space
It means more creative solutions and a greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs, according to UNWomen.org. Women’s lack of meaningful inclusion, on the other hand, comes with huge costs. “Women’s exclusion from the digital world has shaved $1 trillion from the gross domestic product of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade—a loss that will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 without action, as reported in the UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 report,
The same report also states reversing this trend is no easy feat. It requires tackling the problem of online violence, of which 38 per cent of women in 51 countries have reported personally experiencing.
Offline support in the pursuit of gender equality in the digital world
Traditional roles tied to cultural beliefs remain tethers to the home front for many women around the world.
As women pursue their own success in the online space, their offline commitments continue to put immense pressure on their time and energy. Housework, including cooking, cleaning and childcare, is still commonly associated with being “female” even in progressive first-world countries like Canada. The grave consequence is less women in STEM, less data sets around women’s needs and experiences, fewer innovations to meet their needs and increased gender-based violence, both online and off.
The bottom line is that the house is shared. The housework must be shared as well.
International Women’s Day 2023
A bright future is in our hands.
Here’s how to manifest it
Right now, women are still a minority in both STEM education and careers. According to latest numbers released by UNWomen.org, women currently represent just:
> 28 per cent of engineering graduates
> 22 per cent of artificial intelligence workers
> Less than ⅓ of tech sector employees globally
Just as some women and girls are encouraged to stay home and tend to the family, stereotypes about who, and who isn’t, suited to STEM play a huge role in discouraging them from pursuing those fields.
So parents, it’s up to you to lead by example, even if you aren’t in the tech industry. It’s up to you to encourage your girls and educate your boys on gender equality in all spaces – the home, the work force and, even more specifically, STEM.
Get all of your kids, no matter their gender identity, to help equally with chores around the house. Expect the same from your partner. And buy your entire family more time to pursue excellence in their area of interest by hiring a pro house cleaner to come in and take over the bulk of the cleaning.
