While girls across the world tend to outperform boys in reading and writing skills, they continue to be under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Through International Girls in ICT Day, the United Nations alongside its agencies and partners strive to build awareness about the gender digital divide, support technology education, skills training, and encourage more girls and young women to actively pursue careers in STEM.
The event is annually celebrated on the fourth Thursday of April, with this year’s edition slated for today, the 22nd of April 2021 with the Theme: CONNECTED GIRLS, CREATING BRIGHTER FUTURES.
The objective of the celebration is to ensure gender equality between men and women and enable girls and young women to be powerful agents of change in a sector where men are now a majority. International Girls in ICT Day is marked in over 150 countries around the world, to celebrate girls and young women and encourage them to pursue studies and careers in the technology sector through training of coding, development of mobile applications and ICT.
International Girls in ICT Day is marked with the intention of calling to attention the critical need for more girls and women in the ICT sector. With technology playing a role in all kinds of careers, from art and history to law, education, and graphic design; learning tech skills at a younger age will set a girl up for economic independence.
The UN believes that “the jobs of the future will be driven primarily by technology and innovation, and about sixty-five percent of children entering primary school today will have jobs that do not yet exist”.
In this regard, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an agency of the United Nations, partners with other stakeholders to organize programmes, trainings, and activities in commemoration of the International Girls in ICT Day.
The ITU on this day often brings together representatives from governments, international organizations, NGOs, community-based organizations and the private sector, in order to address measures and solutions to close the gender digital divide.
The event also provide a veritable platform for girls to listen, follow and learn by concrete examples from other young girls using technology for good, improving the social and economic status of their communities and building brighter futures for themselves and their families.
Global figures show a startling economic disparity with women losing jobs at almost twice the rate of men and leaving 47 million more women and girls below the poverty line. That’s why it is of utmost importance that the girl child learns tech skills as a source of self-empowerment.
Thus, the UN through its specialised agencies and other global partners commemorate the International Girls in ICT Day to show the world that young girls need to be a part of the technology revolution, whether that be on social media, in the classroom, or in the workplace. And they do this by organising several programmes and events exposing young girls to the opportunities that Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths skills can bring to their future, including career pathways, career attainment and advancement.
To commemorate this day, leading female role models in a variety of ICT-related roles are contacted to talk and inspire young girls through virtual broadcasts taking place around the world, while also demonstrating how passion and technology combined can help learners embark on a lucrative career through ICT related courses.
Hence, in this new era of gender equality and technology, ICT and social networks are very important, if used properly. They can be a window for visibility and business promotion. And if girls are the future, there is need to invest in them and in their development by providing resources and tools for them to pursue tech jobs so that they can improve the living conditions of the society in which they live and as well actualise their dreams.
