International Girls in ICT Day, 2018
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The ICT sector presents tremendous opportunities for women. It’s slated to become a very big chunk of the job market, with an estimated 90 per cent of jobs soon requiring ICT skills. But for women to seize these opportunities equally as men, we have to tackle the gender stereotypes and biases that prevent them from pursuing or making it big in STEM-related fields.
The trends are not promising, according to a recent ITU report: the percentage of women in computing jobs has been declining since 1991, when women held 36 per cent of these jobs. As of 2015, they held only 25 per cent of all computing jobs, and for women of colour, the percentage was even lower.
Breaking the stereotypes and creating meaningful access to ICTs for girls and women must start early. As a recent study in the journal Science showed, girls as young as six are already less likely to join an activity for “very very smart kids”.
On 26 April 2018, UN Women joins ITU (the United Nations agency on information and communication) in celebrating International Girls in ICT Day. From promoting women at the top of the tech game, to the girls fighting for equal access to ICTs in their communities, we’re celebrating all the ways that women and girls are making waves in ICTs, and beyond.
Infographic: Women tech heroes
Meet some of the women in tech inspiring the next generation ►
What girls are saying
“Technology is the future. Every girl and every woman has huge potential. Why not learn about technology if they want to? In the end, we are all equal.”
— Marita Ciorba was one among 65 participants in the 2017 GirlsGoIT summer camp in Chisinau, Moldova, where girls were exposed to robotics and 3d printing along with information technology. GirlsGoIT aims to empower young Moldovan women in STEM. Read more ►
“ICT is a world full of opportunities in which anyone can find their places, regardless of affinities, abilities and gender.”
— Lamija Gutic,16, entered the world of coding in 2016, through IT Girls, a UN Women-supported joint initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is on her way to building technology solutions for a better world. Read more ►
“I chose this degree spontaneously, without talking to my family. They thought I would choose a specialty ‘for girls’, something ‘easier’. When my father heard the news, he asked: ‘Can you handle it?’ I felt the same attitude from boys in the Roma community and my classmates. Now they know that I can do it. Girls, dare and you’ll succeed.”
— Alvetina Nenita chose to study technology despite skepticism from her family and friends. Now she is a fourth year student and radio engineer. She was one of the speakers of "Inspiring stories with and for Women in Technology" panel at Moldova ICT Summit. Read more ►
Join us on social media
Celebrate and join the conversation around International Day of Girls in ICT using #GirlsinICT. A social media package with images and messages in English, Spanish and French is available here.