International Women’s Day 2023: Embrace Equity
We are thrilled about the International Women's Day theme of #EmbraceEquity, which comes with a mission to improve equity for women in tech. This is a cause we are dedicated to every single day and it's exciting to see it highlighted globally for IWD this year!
Unfortunately, in Aotearoa New Zealand, only 27% of the IT workforce is female, with a mere 39% of students taking NCEA technology at school (Digital Skills for Our Digital Future Report 2021). These stats paint a grim picture and highlight the broken pipeline and we feel it needs to be addressed urgently.
As our world becomes increasingly digital, it's crucial that we support those who need it most to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities to shape their own lives. Achieving digital equity is a complex challenge that we have presented to students in years 11,12, and 13 at Lincoln High School. We have tasked them with developing solutions to shift the narrative and reduce the impact of digital inequity for primary school-aged girls in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Students have delved into the story and kaupapa of Digital Future Aotearoa and explored both the program's as well as the supporting national data to identify the challenges that girls face in engaging and sustaining their learning. Their next step is to conduct a critical inquiry that will lead them to propose a digital solution aimed at promoting equity for girls and non-binary youth to access and engage with digital technologies and programming. Ultimately, their goal is to empower this generation to support the next. Having the voice of rangatahi (youth) is crucial in achieving digital equity.
This challenge has sparked a fire within ākonga, and they are dedicating their time, energy, and focus to exploring ways to forge a pathway of change. At the end of this challenge, we hope to share a co-created resource with you via our Digital Pīkau.
In the meantime, we’d like to offer up a wero to you. Imagine yourself in Year 13 student Sarah's shoes. Her teacher's encouragement and belief in her capabilities gave her the push she needed to excel in programming. When asked by her peers why she studies digital technologies, despite being a minority learner, she responded, "I grew up surrounded by boys and male role models in programming and technology."
The challenge is simple: What can you do today to encourage others to pursue further learning in tech? Please do it.
Our mahi (work) with Lincoln High School is supported through Shark Tank by ImpactEd and E Whiti! E Whiti! by Core Education.
This UN Women blog, Power on: How we can supercharge an equitable digital future, is an excellent place to learn more.