Nobody loses in the move towards gender equality and those who seek to erode its progress are speaking from a place of fear, anxiety, shame, or misinformation.
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On March 8 we will again be celebrating International Women's Day. The UN Women Australia's theme for the day is Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future, highlighting the important role inclusive technologies and accessible education play in bringing down the digital divide that keeps so many women offline.
Digital skills and affordable access to technology are important for women to participate equally in all aspects of society. This includes women on low incomes, women with disability, First Nations women and older women, who are potentially less tech-savvy, lack online confidence, and may have limited resources to access to the internet.
Women are also underrepresented in Australia's growing tech workforce.
According to the federal government's report The State of STEM Gender Equity in 2022 the proportion of women in STEM-qualified occupations only increased by two points, from 13 per cent to 15 per cent between 2020 and 2021. It said the gender pay gap for full-time workers in STEM industries was $26,784 in 2021.
Both numbers are unacceptable, but we know that unless we remove the barriers to provide equal access to education and clear pathways for women and girls in STEM, this gap will remain.
At the same time, technology-facilitated abuse is on the rise, enabling offenders to harass victims around-the-clock, making the abuse even more intrusive.
According to a recent study by the Australian Institute of Criminology, 75 per cent of the 9,987 dating app users have experienced sexual violence or harassment.
One in three people have been the victim of sexual assault or harassment in person. Users reported multiple instances of sexual violence both online and in person from various offenders, indicating that the abuse was not isolated.
It should come as no surprise that current or former intimate partners are using online communications technology to stalk, threaten, monitor, and harass victims. Not when you consider that domestic violence affects one in six Australian women.
The issue of online harassment and abuse requires all of us to step up and act as engaged citizens of the digital ecosystem, learning about the issue, calling out friends who engage in these behaviours and not accepting it either online or anywhere else.
Providing women and girls with clear pathways in education and technology is a key plank in bridging the digital divide and ending discrimination and abuse.
Focusing on gender inequality more broadly, we know it comes from a culture of male entitlement, outdated social norms and an entrenched power imbalance. Indeed, the link between gender inequality and family and domestic violence is clearly documented.
In Australia, all genders are set to benefit if all genders are treated with equality. Right now, the sex listed on your birth certificate determines far more about your life journey than it should - including your education and career pathways and opportunities.
This International Women's Day, White Ribbon Australia is asking Australian men to think about what they can do to start really addressing the underlying drivers of discrimination and disrespect towards women that have taken root and become normalised in our society - the sexist jokes, the "harmless" workplace banter between the blokes, or talking over the top of a woman, just because you can.
On March 8, think about what you can do to support a workplace culture where female colleagues are seen and heard. Consider how you can encourage your daughter, granddaughter, or niece to pursue STEM opportunities.
All of us have a responsibility to shift the gender-based attitudes and social practices that perpetuate discrimination, violence, and disrespect against women; to remove the barriers to education and career opportunities.
The time is here to create a gender equal future for Australia.
- Allan Ball is national director of White Ribbon Australia.
- Support is available. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
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