Women Make the News 2019

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About

In a recent study by the European Commission, the share of men working in the digital sector was shown to be more than 3-times greater than that of women. The report stresses that this inequality arises from the ongoing stereotypes that women have lower capacities in terms of ICTs and biases in the technologies themselves.

During the 2019 edition of Women Make the News, UNESCO will help to encourage gender equality in the digital sphere and remove unfounded prejudices by focusing on women and their achievements in the sector.

Launched annually on International Women’s Day (8 March), Women Make the News is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness on issues relating to gender equality in and through the media, driving debate and encouraging action-oriented solutions to meet global objectives.

Women in the Digital Sphere

Innovation and technology provide unprecedented opportunities, yet trends indicate a growing gender digital divide and women are under-represented in the field of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and design. It prevents them from developing and influencing gender-responsive innovations to achieve transformative gains for society. From mobile banking to artificial intelligence and the internet of things, it is vital that women’s ideas and experiences equally influence the design and implementation of the innovations that shape our future societies.

Get Involved

The #WIKI4WOMEN initiative calls everyone around the world to take a few minutes of their time to create, enrich or translate, in as many languages as possible, Wikipedia profiles of women committed in the fields of education, science, culture, social and human sciences, or communication and information. To learn more about #WIKI4WOMEN, click here.

Women are often under-represented in the media and their content tends to favour men as experts and sources. The Women Make the News - Thailand database is an online resource that helps journalists identify women experts to include in their stories as a means of forwarding gender equality in the media and society. Find out more on the dedicated platform here.

UNESCO is also organising a debate on “Women online: challenges for gender equality in the digital space”, which will feature distinguished speakers who are dedicating their lives to the advancement of women’s empowerment in and through the media. The speakers will present their own experiences and vision of challenges online, and will open up a discussion on emerging solutions for women to succeed in the digital space. Click here to learn more!

Director General's Message

"Digital technologies are affecting the ways in which we work, learn, teach and live together. Unfortunately, women are not necessarily fully benefitting from this technological revolution. A recent report by the Broadband Commission, co-authored by UNESCO, concluded that the gender digital divide is actually increasing: in 2016, there were over 250 million fewer women online than men that year. Women are not only less connected, but benefit less from digital literacy and skills training, are less likely to be hired by tech companies, and often earn less than their male colleagues."

— Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2019

Download the complete message in PDF format