Equality for Women and Girls in the Digital Space
Given that we are in the era of digital transformation, the development of individual potential and subsequent use in business has become a vital criterion.
Our life has been digitized, business sectors have shifted to digital reality and employees have been replaced by technologies, the world is taking on new challenges, and what we need is the ability to adapt quickly to innovations and integrate our own resources with technologies, so that
the process does not lag behind.
Even though the internet is a space where, in most ways, it's free to get knowledge and learn any information you need, the gender gap between men and women is significantly large.
According to ITU (International Telecommunications Union) statistics, more than 50% of the world’s women are offline, and beyond the disturbing statistics, we encounter such fundamental reasons such as an unbalanced income margin, which is almost always lower than of men; Lack of financial independence to invest in technology; Social responsibilities; Lack of employment equality; Working places; And most importantly public thinking.
The listed factors significantly reduce the frequency of Internet consumption. No internet, no connection to the world.
Reasons causing the problem
The lack of women in tech begins at an educational level. From an early age, girls have been steered away from careers and activities having to do with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Besides the informational vacuum, lots of women say how difficult it is for them to rise through the company’s corporate ladder, to be heard and taken into consideration for promotions. It is a fact that a non-friendly environment and unreliable attitude at a workplace directly affects women's self-esteem and self-confidence.
The UNESCO study found that women who made big breaks in technology and digital industries and held top management positions do not stay at that position in the long term, and the most common cause is the feeling of undervaluation.
How to solve the problem
In the end, the biggest challenge is dealing with the problem and finding ways to eliminate it. It's necessary to manage the right communication plan, where will be said what kind of benefits for the personal development they'll get with the integration of digital space, what are the perspectives they will get for their startups or entrepreneur businesses, and how big possibilities can bring the integration with the digital world.
To begin with, we need to introduce them to the importance of basic knowledge in digital space, to be able to perceive technological advantages and be able to digitize their potential, which will allow them to become modern and improved persons, persons for whom there is no limit to creativity and ability in the digital world.
The first step to overcoming the challenge is to develop a communication plan to make women of all ages equally familiar with the conceptual idea of technology and digital space. The idea is to make all kinds of products through the Internet - education, personal development, or business project management, to make it equally easily accessible for everyone. The given idea will give us a unified picture of women all over the world, who are realized in the technological echelons, where their creativity, dedication to work, and love of profession creates the perfect product, achieves success, realizes in business, and creates a better future.
A call to action
First, it is necessary to show initiative, and then to raise a common voice calling for public change. Any initiative that increases the accessibility of girls and women and their use of digital technology, should address the underlying gender barriers, especially the social norms that support men's ownership and control of technology and the digital world.
Also noteworthy are the environmental factors that you are largely unfamiliar with, and often play a crucial role in the professional choices and activities of teenage girls at career advancement. In this case, the main factors are the parents and other family members, whose archaic role can be formulated through digital literacy trainings for parents. Using training can be a different kind of "investment" between parents and other family members, to make them supporters instead of causers of difficulties.
We also need to develop educational programs within the framework of the joint initiative, which will promote equal participation of women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), raise their awareness in the digital and technology industries, and promote civil or digital rights. Which itself implies continuous development and an unlimited range of opportunities with strong and confident women, women whose inspirational creativity knows no bounds.
To make our voice heard by every woman anywhere in the world, we need to start at the right time, and the right time is now!
Practical advice
Whether it is Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Blockchain technology, or any other industry unknown to you, just make sure you understand everything about the issue. Read, get information and practice, learn more about what the world is striving for, try to imagine what the world and society's future might be like, think about where you see yourself; In the role of a passive observer of the processes or, as an active participant in the current events? How can you use technology and digital capabilities to your full potential?
