Digital transformation and women for the first time in the Gender Action Plan

What is the place for women in a world relentless going through a digital transformation? And, how could we leverage on women to use digital technologies and solutions to build healthier, greener and more equal societies? 

We are all witnessing how pervasive digitalisation is in our everyday life. Especially with the COVID-19 crisis, we have begun to rely on digital technology to be able to face the emergency and continue to access basic services. This has come with a tremendous rise in inequalities, fuelled by the unequal access and use of digital means - better known as – the digital divide. 

The “gender digital divide”

As this varies along the lines of discrimination patterns and intersectionality, the “gender digital divide” gets deeper where matched with other socio-economic, cultural and environmental cleavages, e.g. people living in rural, remote areas or landlocked countries, or belonging to the Least Developed economies and the poorest. 

Along with inequality, the digital transformation has brought new dangers and challenges, affecting the most vulnerable, such as women and girls.

The EU Gender Action Plan

For the first time, the Gender Action Plan (GAP) will focus, among other issues, on promoting women and girls empowerment through digitalisation.

The launch of the new EU Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in External Relations 2020 – 2025 (GAP III) is taking place on the 25th November 2020. 

An online panel discussion will take place in the framework of a high-level event organised by the European Commission in cooperation with the EEAS, the German Presidency of the EU and the European Parliament.

Link to the registration of the event here

Digital4Women in EU development programmes

The EU conducted a study entitled “Digital4Women: how to enable women empowerment in Africa through mainstreaming digital technologies and services in EU development programmes”. It aims at identifying the key factors and trends, the opportunities and challenges for women in the digital age. 

The study report is available here.