Source: technologyatwork.itcilo.org

The word digital gender gap can also be referred to as digital gender divide. Plan International also calls it “technology gap”, and says that it is the difference between groups with technology and the internet and those without. Girls and women often have less access to technology and the internet compared to boys and men. Particularly in developing countries, girls and women struggle to afford technology and internet access. The stereotypes around technology being for boys and fear of being discriminated against stop girls from using digital tools. Digital gender divide can also be said to be gender biases coded into technology products, technology sector and digital skills education.

While the gender gap in digital skills is evident across regional boundaries and income levels, it is more severe for women who are older, less educated, poor, or living in rural areas and developing countries. Digital skills gap intersects with issues of poverty and educational access. Education systems are increasingly trying to ensure equitable, inclusive and high-quality digital skills education and training. Though digital skills open pathways to further learning and skills development, women and girls are still being left behind in digital skills education. According to a youth survey report issued by the National Bureau of Statistics, in Nigeria young men are almost twice as likely to have a career in computer science and technology-related fields as women. Also, no access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure or to the internet for municipal use is not the only evidence of digital gender divide, education, lack of electrical infrastructure, income, and urban drift, and a variety of other social and political factors also contribute to Nigeria’s growing digital gender divide.

However, efforts are currently being made to reduce the digital divide in Nigeria including collaboration between government agencies and technology corporations like Google, Cchub, Andela, StarBridge Africa, Microsoft and Intel, using libraries as E-learning (theory) facilities, and proposing governmental policies such as salary enhancement.

Bridging the gap

Increasing girls and women’s digital skills involves early, varied and sustained exposure to digital technologies. Perhaps, education is the most important step to take in closing the digital gender gap. But, interventions should not be limited to formal education settings, they should reflect a multifaceted approach, enabling women and girls to acquire skills in a variety of formal and informal contexts (at home, in school, in their communities and in the workplace)Interventions should also include digital skills programmes that enable women and girls gain digital skills, upskill and reskill throughout their lifetimes. The digital gender divide cuts across all age groups, therefore solutions need to assume a lifelong learning orientation.

The technological changes add impetus to the ‘across life’ perspective, as skills learned today will not necessarily be relevant in 5 or 10 years. Digital skills require regular updating, so as to prevent women and girls fall further behind. The following proffers ways that education can help in women and girl’s digital skills development:

  1. Embedding ICT in formal education: The study and usage of ICT related courses and the internet should be made mandatory in schools, and girls should be taken priority in its accessibility. With access to computers and the Internet, students can search for information and acquire new knowledge beyond what is available through teachers and textbooks. ICT also provide students with new ways to practice their skills e.g. maintaining a personal webpage or online publication, programming computers, talking and listening to native speakers when learning a second language, and/or preparing a multimedia presentation, whether alone or as part of a remotely connected team.
  2. Encouraging collaborative and peer learning: Collaborative learning encompasses a whole host of approaches which use the group and team approach for student work. Another term associated with collaborative learning is peer learning, in which students learn from and teach each other. Examples of collaborative learning activities which can be very effective include:
  • group problem-solving tasks;
  • team writing assignments, so that a group can submit a cooperatively authored document
  • reciprocal teaching, in which students act as teachers to lead discussion, summarize material, ask questions, and clarify material.
  1. Creating safe spaces and meet women where they are: A safe space is a formal or informal place where women and girls feel physically and emotionally safe. The term ‘safe,’ in the context, refers to the absence of trauma, excessive stress, violence (or fear of violence), or abuse, feel comfortable and enjoy the freedom to express themselves without the fear of judgment or harm. The key objectives of a safe space are to provide an area where women and girls can:
  • Socialize and re-build their social networks;
  • Receive social support;
  • Acquire contextually relevant skills;
  • Access safe and non-stigmatizing multi-sectorial GBV response services (psychosocial, legal, medical);
  • Receive information on issues relating to women’s rights, health, and services
  1. Recruiting and training gender-sensitive teachers: Involve Gender sensitive teachers who understand and respond to the needs of their students. They realize that girls and boys have different sexual maturation issues. They encourage equal involvement in class activities and ensure equal access to learning materials.
  2. Promoting role models and mentors: Mentors are an important part of personal and professional development. They are guides through times when people need someone that is able to point them in the right direction. Good mentors are enthusiastic people, enjoying the role they play in helping others achieve their goals.
  3. Bringing parents on board: Parental involvement plays a critical role in students’ academic success, but also in their success on other areas of life. When you work with parents, you get the extra support needed to help struggling children turn around their performance. You also encourage a lifelong love of learning in every student, creating more engaged and excited learners. By opening the lines of communication, encouraging parental presence in the classroom and offering opportunities for home enrichment, teachers can bring parents on board as partners in education.
  4. Leveraging community connections and recruiting allies: Collaborating with stakeholders in the community to communicate, shape, and define roles and responsibilities is an ongoing process.

 

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This article was written by Lola Olajide

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