Why in news? The theme for International Women’s Day 2023 is ‘DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality’, underscores the importance of women led digital solutions

Highlights:

The challenges

• Gender bias: Women-led digital solutions may face bias from investors, customers, or other stakeholders who may question their ability to lead or innovate. This can result in less funding, fewer opportunities for growth, and lower levels of visibility and recognition.
• Lack of access to resources: Women-led digital solutions may have limited access to resources such as funding, mentorship, networks, and technology. This can make it difficult for them to scale their solutions and compete with larger, more established companies.
• Limited representation: Women are still underrepresented in the tech industry, which can make it challenging for women-led digital solutions to gain visibility and recognition. This can also limit the diversity of ideas and perspectives that are represented in the industry.
• Balancing work and family responsibilities: Women may face additional challenges in balancing work and family responsibilities, which can make it difficult to devote the necessary time and energy to their digital solutions.
• Discrimination and harassment: Women-led digital solutions may also face discrimination and harassment in the workplace, which can impact their ability to lead and innovate.

Overall, these challenges can make it difficult for women-led digital solutions to succeed and reach their full potential. However, efforts are being made to address these challenges and promote greater diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry.

Areas that require women led digital solutions:

• Farming sector: for instance, boosting female ownership of mobile phones and training on how to use them is crucial given that agricultural and market information are increasingly being delivered through digital platforms
• Nutrition and empowerment: Introduction of digital training and mobile tablets for the cook-cum-helpers who drive PM POSHAN of which ninety per cent of them are women.
• Healthcare: Women-led digital solutions can help address a variety of healthcare challenges, from improving access to healthcare services to developing new technologies for diagnosis and treatment.
• Education: it can help improve access to education, especially in areas where there are limited resources or opportunities. Digital Sakhis’(Young women) from Madhya Pradesh are upturning discriminatory social norms through the use of smartphones.
• Financial services: it can help improve financial inclusion by providing access to banking and other financial services, especially in underserved communities. The women with digital knowledge, will prioritise access to financial services to manage their own economic activities efficiently and take informed decisions to enhance their livelihoods, food security, and nutrition.
• Sustainable development: Women-led digital solutions can help promote sustainable development by developing technologies that reduce waste and pollution, improve energy efficiency, and support sustainable agriculture.
• Safety and security: help promote safety and security, especially for women and other vulnerable populations, by developing technologies for personal safety, home security, and community safety.
• Social entrepreneurship: Women-led digital solutions can help promote social entrepreneurship by developing innovative solutions to social and environmental challenges, and creating new opportunities for social impact and economic development.

Reports that stress the need for women led digital solutions

• The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the Governments of Odisha and Rajasthan has rolled out technology-based training modules housed in an application, and mobile tablets for strengthening the capacity of the community in ensuring that proper hygiene and safety measures to offer school meals.
• The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) indicates that 54% women and 64% children in India’s urban areas are anaemic. The NFHS-5 shows that more than 18% of women between 15 and 49 years have a low body mass index while more than half the pregnant women in the same age group are anaemic.

Access to digital literacy and platforms would create awareness about the gap and needs in the populations that are often on the margins of the digital revolution.

• India accounts for half the world’s gendered digital divide given that only a third of all Internet users in the country are women.
• In Asia-Pacific, India has the widest gender gap of 40%. Less than 32% of women in India own a mobile phone compared to over 60% of men.
• W-20 Inception Meet discussed role of women from SMEs, climate action, education and skilling, gender digital divide and grassroots level leadership

Way forward

• Access to digital literacy and platforms would create awareness about the gap and needs in the populations that are often on the margins of the digital revolution.
• Women can harness digital tools for improving nutrition schemes and initiatives, while also using them to create economic opportunities that ensure long-term food and nutrition security.
• By bringing together access to a digital device, digital literacy, and community ownership for women, the initiative has infused fresh energy and confidence in how women perceive and deliver their roles as nutrition champions.

Question

Explain the importance of creating gender equality for placing women as the torchbearers of digital innovations and leaders in the community