Gender equality in the digital age

Across the globe, widespread gender gaps in digital literacy and access to the Internet are holding girls back from maximizing learning opportunities and employment potential.

On the margins of the sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women #CSW67 , Digital Grassroots , the Government of Finland Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland , the Government of Sweden Regeringskansliet, Utrikesdepartementet , Women in Games and 联合国儿童基金会 convened an intergenerational dialogue to explore frontier partnerships to spearhead bold, ambitious initiatives to equip girls and young women with the skills and experiences they need to become the architects of a more diverse, inclusive, and safer digital ecosystem.

Nancy Wachira from Digital Grassroots shared her experience on this challenge. Growing up in Kenya, she shared, “As a young girl working alone, you don’t know where to start. People – especially from rural communities – need a peer group, mentorship... even to just give the confidence to find opportunities.” ?

At the event, speakers discussed initiatives to bring world class design skills of the gaming industry to girls and the promise of innovative finance solutions to allow flourishing public and private skill-development programmes in West Africa to scale with much needed additional capital. ?

The gaming industry is about to level up – with girls leading the mission.

Nearly half of the world’s gamers are girls and women, yet less than a quarter of the gaming industry’s workforce is female. Equipped with the right skills, girls can go from playing, to learning, to earning.

Through the newly launched Game Changers Coalition , UNICEF is teaming up with the gaming and tech industries to equip a generation of girls to become the coders, designers, and leaders of a more inclusive, diverse, and secure digital future. ?

“Innovation isn't an option - it's a necessity. Every single girl should have the opportunity to not only think big, but also make it a reality," UNICEF Youth Advocate Gitanjali Rao. ?