The National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) has urged stakeholders in the technology industry to mainstream women into the sector for gender equality.
The National President of NCWS, Hajiya Lami Lau, said this in a statement on Tuesday in commemoration of the 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD).
The theme of this year’s edition is: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.
Lau said that the United Nations observance of the IWD recognises and celebrates the women and girls who were championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education.
She said that bringing women and other marginalised groups into technology results in more creative solutions and had greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality.
”The non-inclusion of women comes with massive costs and according to the UN Women 2022 Snap Short Report, women’s exclusion from the digital world had reduced one trillion dollars from the GDP of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade.
“This loss will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 if no action is taken to mainstream women in digital world,,” she said.
Lau said that to change this situation will require tackling the problem of online violence, which according to the reports, 38 per cent of women had personally experienced.
The national president stressed the need for digital education that could increase the awareness of women and girls regarding their rights and civic engagement in the sector.
She called for the adoption of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses by girls to address the discrimination, gender bias and improve participation in all spheres.
Lau said that the celebration of the IWD 2023 would explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities.
This, she said, would also highlight the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence.
