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Posted 26 Apr 2024

2 min read

  • The report looks at impact of technology on girls’ education opportunities and outcomes, and role of education on the shape of future technological development. 

 

  • Impact of technology on girls’ education:
    • ICT can overcome barriers to education access for girls in crisis context.
      • For instance, in Kenya, M-shule platform delivers education through text message without need for internet connection.
    • Digital divide: Girls and women are less able to access technology with 130 million fewer women than men owning mobile phone and 244 million fewer women having Internet access.
    • Social media negatively affects well-being and reinforces gender norms. Greater interaction on social media at age 10 is associated with worsening socioemotional difficulties with age among girls.
    • Cyberbullying is common and is exacerbated by the danger of deepfakes made using AI.

 

  • Role of Education in shaping technological development:
    • Average share of STEM is 15% among young female graduates and 35% among young male graduates.    
    • Underrepresentation in technological design and deployment: In 2022, women held less than 25% of science, engineering and ICT jobs.
    • Negative gender stereotypes, reinforced by low expectations from parents and teachers, impact girls’ STEM aspirations.

 

Recommendations from the report:

  • Establish bodies to evaluate education technology and algorithms, to assess where they may be amplifying negative gender stereotypes or negatively affecting well-being.
  • Encouraging more girls to study towards scientific careers and promote female leadership in artificial intelligence and technology development.
  • Avoid infrastructure-only approaches and invest in gender-responsive education and training programmes to enhance digital literacy and skills for all.
  • Tags :
  • Women in STEM
  • Gender Gap
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