By: Syed Ahsan Shah
Gender equality carries immense importance as everyone, irrespective of gender, gets equal opportunities. It guarantees equal rights and fair play for all. Subsequent human evolutions gave birth to a different form of gender inequalities. Similarly, now the world is growing on digital fronts. Despite making many advancements, unequal digital growth hinders social changes and economic initiatives. Exponential digital growth appeals to countries to help their females access digital technology equally as males. Indices portray digitally grown countries are paying great focus towards digital equality. All those far behind in ensuring equal digital access for its people are at the bottom of human development and economic well-being indices.
Pakistan also faces the gender gap in digital accessibility and connectivity among other developing countries. Only 52 per cent of females in Pakistan have access to their mobiles, and merely 21 per cent use mobile Internet. These horrific states tell us a lot about the digital sufferings of the country. When the world expands its users to access artificial intelligence, women in Pakistan cannot access essential digital equipment.
Suddenly these figures vary from city to city and from region to region. In the remote areas of Pakistan: Baluchistan, southern Punjab and FATA, students face numerous Internet supply challenges; such areas do not have even 4G Internet coverage. Already going through many genders inequalities, the country would not bear the burden of this new gender inequality. Likewise, the literacy gender gap and freedom of expression gender inequality are directly linked with the digital gender gap. By not allowing women to access mobile phone coverage, other gender disparities will be strengthened. Digital growth is increasing at a rapid pace. Gender disparities connected with digitalism can be highly consequential. In forthcoming years, the impact of digital gap inequalities will triplicate if not increase exponentially.
During COVID-19 days, it became clear that digital equality is equally vital alongside other social measures to mitigate the pandemic’s dynamic impacts. When all the world nations with most of their females, were shifted to remote working. With 21 per cent female exposure to mobile Internet, Pakistan remains reluctant in decision making? Like our forefathers, a nation builder stressed, “a country can’t make progress unless its women work in parallel with men”. Today our IT industry is far behind from the world in performance and making impactful changes in our society. The majority of the world’s leading IT industries have more than 60 per cent female involvement. In contrast, how can a woman in a country with limited access to mobile and the Internet contribute to digital revival?
Not only are rural women exposed to the dilemma of digital inequality, but urban women can’t play an active role in society. Many teachers lost their jobs during COVID days for not having access to share Internet and lack knowledge about digital devices, which proves adverse for economic growth and healthy female involvement.
Like everywhere else, digital growth is expanding in Pakistan as well. It can act as a social,- economic indicator for undermining the challenges lying ahead. However, unequal digital development, especially in gender, can be consequential. Globally, nations digitally empower their women to fortify their economic well-being and galvanise social engagement and politics. Digitally aware women can be the helping hand first countries progress toward economic growth. For that digital health of women need to be preferred and prioritised.
A holistic approach is required from concerned authorities ranging from policymakers to digital experts to uplift the morale of women by appreciating their digital involvement. Similarly, tax on digital devices: mobile phones, laptops and I-Pads need to be minimised to help women quickly access them. Also, skyrocketing Internet packages should be halted. Young female students should be given training on digital devices to increase their involvement in the IT industry. A well-deserved similar initiative is underway. The presidential initiative for artificial intelligence and computing (PIAIC) aims to empower youth digitally. Similar initiatives should be conducted frequently to encourage female participation in social and professional corporates. Cell phone manufacturers and macro lending startups also need to deliver products to females. Formulating a culture where a woman can easily access and quickly learn technology, digital disparities can be better resolved.
The writer is currently doing mechanical engineering at UET Taxila. He frequently writes about economic, social and political issues on my medium blog.email: [email protected]
