NAIROBI, Kenya, May 9- Digital technologies are a powerful driver of gender equality, giving women and girls new information, opportunities, and resources in the 21st century.
Girls and women in many parts of African countries are however not exposed to technology compared to boys and men, despite the evolving use of technology tools making the global one small village.
According to pundits, the digital gender divide persists in Africa because of social and gender norms and deep-rooted gender stereotypes.
In Kenya, despite the statistics, which largely support the fact of great strides in female education, women remain underrepresented in technology-related fields.
Female students make up only 30% of total enrollment in public universities.
Most women enroll in private universities because they fail to secure admission into public universities which have stringent requirements for the hard sciences such as physics and mathematics.
Kenyan girls may avoid pursuing science-related professions for several reasons including their perception that these subjects are ‘hard’, and lack of goodwill.
According to a new UNDP report, women especially from developing countries, face continued challenges in accessing and making use of digital technologies.
The rates at which girls and young women are learning to code and programming, for example, continue to trail those of boys and men.
The report indicates, that globally, women make up only 29 percent of the STEM workforce, and are less likely than men to have an education in science and tech-related field.
Even before COVID-19, the technology sector was already the world’s fastest-growing sector, in part spurred by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
However, as stay-at-home orders required most of the world to shift to virtually-enabled work, school, healthcare, shopping, and social events, technology has further seeped into daily lives, creating an even more booming sector.
A recent study by the European Union shows that only 17 percent of ICT students, 19 percent of ICT managers, and 9 percent of ICT developers are women.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a global digital and data-driven transformation, with more people online for work, leisure, and learning.
More time online means increased opportunities for virtual connection but also poses new and unique challenges.
According to International Telecommunication Union, during the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has become more important than ever as if women and girls are given the power of the internet, then they get an opportunity to businesses, better-paid jobs, and access to education as well as health and financial services.
Chief Executive Director of Child online Africa Iwo Idam Amenyah speaking during the E-monitoring session to government officials, parents, teachers, and civil society young girls from African Countries during the global Girl ICT Day under the theme “Access to safety” said girls have not been given full support in access to information technology.
Amenyah stated Digital technologies, tools and platforms are meaningful when they are used to enhance humanity and therefore digital literacy and access are a basic right.
“in the twenty-first century; without digital tools and literacy it is increasingly difficult to participate civically and economically,” Said Amenyah.
According to Ms. Amenyah, one of the painful realizations of the global pandemic is that those with connectivity and access to digital skills were able to continue to learn remotely when schools closed down whereas those without such access and skills missed out on learning and the other benefits physical learning institutions bring.
As a result of this digital divide, gaps in educational opportunity and outcomes between and within nations were heightened.
What needs to be done?
“The truth is we cannot allow our educational goals and for that of the African girls to fall short of the aspirations we have for it,” she said.
She noted that education must aim to unite all around collective endeavors and provide the knowledge, science, and innovation needed to shape sustainable futures for all.
A new social contract for education must be anchored in two foundational principles, the right to education and a commitment to education as a public societal endeavor and a common good.
“information without empowerment, and digital technology in education without clear purposes, are not desirable for Africa We Want, “ said Manyah.
She noted that one of the ways to make education in the future is to best support individuals, communities, and societies for meaningful work and economic well-being by giving girls access and safety.
Education should be geared to enable people to create long-term social and economic well-being for themselves, their families, and their communities and this should include creating Access and Safety for girls to pursue careers in STEM.
Chief Executive Director at Techide Kafui Prebbie from Ghana says ICT implications strategies and policies implementation program give priority to girls in ICT.
Ben Amaokoh from Nigeria encourages young girls to take career and female representation in programs designed to encourage girls and young women to learn tech skills and, further, within formalized career paths where those skills are applicable.
“We need to start early to break the stereotypes related to gender and tech and encourage authority figures to support girls to pursue education in technology. We need to build on hiring practices that support diversity, equity, and inclusion, while also creating flexible and supportive working environments that allow women within tech to thrive,” 23-year-old Nelly Bonateri, a graduate from Kisii National Polytechnic with Diploma in ICT says.
She was at the institution in 2017 while perusing certificates in the same field.
She recalls the institution enrolled 56 students in the ICT course and out of this,18 of these were girls. At the end of the course, 28 students were able to complete it.
“The course was so challenging with less number of girls in the class. Poor attitude towards the course forced a number of girls to drop the course,” she said.
“After my certificate, I enrolled for my Diploma program which I studied till the end and I am thinking of enrolling for my Degree program come September this year.”
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