Initiated by the Plenipotentiary Resolution of the member states of the International Telecommunication Union, International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in April every year to create and elevate awareness of the need for more girls and women in ICT. The main goals of celebrating this day are to encourage girls and young women to pursue STEM education, inspire girls and young women to work in STEM careers, engage the community and promote collaboration through partnerships.

ICT provides the opportunity for both men and women to actively engage and excel in their work. Therefore, both genders should have the same access to ICT to achieve gender parity. This year, the day is celebrated with the theme “Digital skills for life” to encourage girls and women to consider pursuing the ICT stream.

In today’s world, ICT has become something of great importance, and it has changed how people work, communicate, learn, and live. Therefore, access to this powerful sector should not be limited or biased. ICT should be a common resource for both men and women. To reduce this gender inequality, we should let women participate in technology-related fields. Various studies that are conducted in this respect show that men have more confidence in using ICT for different purposes than women. This reluctance and fear of women need to be addressed.

Enabling women to excel in the ICT world would enable them to play an active role in economic development and career development and also empower them to improve their lives. When women have sufficient access to ICT, they will have the opportunity to start new businesses, find better-paying jobs, and have access to education as well as health and financial services.

Apart from encouraging girls to pursue IT careers, girls who prefer other careers should also be encouraged to learn IT skills, as they are rapidly becoming a strong advantage for all the other streams as well.

Women who lack digital skills also lack the confidence to use the internet, and as a result, they may limit their use to only familiar services. Also, the lack of female role models in the industry leaves a huge space in the process of encouraging women. Women are also stereotypically underestimated in the field of ICT. They have unequal growth opportunities when compared to men. Even though women play the same role as men in the field, they are underpaid. These stereotypes discourage women from entering IT-related fields.

Bringing rural women into the discussion, it can be seen that poverty, a lack of social connectivity, and most importantly, socially accepted norms prevent them from developing an interest in the field of IT. These hindrances that women face in ICT should be addressed. Encouraging women and girls to pursue IT-related jobs and letting them use the internet freely would improve the ICT industry.

We should encourage women by providing them with opportunities to excel in ICT and by making them let go of their fear of using ICT. For this purpose, women need to be educated in the field of IT and should be motivated to use it more often. This would, in turn, help us develop a technologically literate society. So, let’s motivate and empower women for the betterment of themselves and society.

Written by Rtr. Yerani Gunawardana

Graphic design by: Rtr. Akila Srikantha