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IGF 2023 WS #302 Bridging The Gender Digital Divide: Cultural Nuances

    Subtheme

    Digital Divides & Inclusion
    Gender Digital Divide

    Organizer 1: Luke Rong Guang Teoh, NetMission.Asia
    Organizer 2: Stella Anne Ming Hui Teoh, NetMission.Asia
    Organizer 3: Júlia Tereza Rodrigues Koole, Civil Society
    Organizer 4: Bea Guevarra, 🔒NetMission.Asia

    Speaker 1: Noha Abdel Baky, Civil Society, African Group
    Speaker 2: Dhyta Caturani, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 3: Rohini Lakshané, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 4: Salasiah Che Lah , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 5: ALLA BAKSH MOHAMED AYUB KHAN, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

    Moderator

    Luke Rong Guang Teoh, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

    Online Moderator

    Júlia Tereza Rodrigues Koole, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

    Rapporteur

    Stella Anne Ming Hui Teoh, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

    Format

    Round Table - 90 Min

    Policy Question(s)

    A. With the prevalence of English on the Internet, how does not having English as your mother tongue affect the gender digital divide?

    B. What are the cultural differences that must be taken into consideration when tackling the gender digital divide?

    C. What can we as Internet end users do to bridge this gender digital divide from a bottom-up approach?

    D. What measures can be implemented to ensure young girls are not left behind and are ready for the workforce?

    E. What role can youth initiatives play in tackling the gender digital divide?

    What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain new knowledge on the specific differences that different cultures face when trying to bridge the digital gender divide. To foster more inclusivity each speaker will draw from their own experience and their own unique background when sharing their insights.

    Next, participants will learn how they can help bridge the gender digital divide gap by actively engaging in bottom-up solutions that will be discussed by the speakers. This is to ensure that all participants regardless of background can contribute.

    Participants will also gain a deeper understanding of cross-cultural differences and be able to utilize more inclusive thinking when creating solutions for gender-based issues; this will help build a more global perspective and identify common key areas that need to be addressed for the betterment of the Internet.

    Description:

    This workshop focuses on Theme 5 Global Digital Divides & Inclusion.

    According to UN Women 2023, the gender digital divide has increased since 2019, despite the pandemic forcing a worldwide digital transformation. The emerging technologies and rapid advancements have still resulted in women being left behind. Global statistics do not do this issue justice as the gender digital divide worsens when considering further marginalized women like the elderly or women in rural areas.

    According to UNICEF more than 90% of jobs worldwide have a digital component and with most of the data on the gender digital divide being on women above 18 (Tyers-Chowdhury & Binder, 2021), what does this spell for those below 18? Clearly, the gender digital divide will have serious repercussions for young girls and their employability; resulting in a vicious cycle of gender inequality.

    Culture in the gender digital divide is often overlooked (OECD, 2018). The unique angle that this workshop will assume is one that understands that different cultures require different solutions, it is not right to prescribe one method for all. Moreover, seeing how language and culture are inextricably intertwined (Salzmann, 1998), it would be of great prominence to include the role of language in bridging the gender digital divide.

    Speakers will share their insights on how women and girls from different cultures can overcome the gender digital divide. Additionally, to ensure that everyone can make a positive impact; methods to bridge the divide from a grassroots level will also be discussed. This is

    The aforementioned topics will hopefully provide answers as to how we can bridge the gender digital divide in times of digital change while being inclusive in terms of gender and culture.

    Agenda:
    Introduction (5 mins)
    Panel Discussion (30 mins)
    Open floor Q&A (15 mins)
    Roundtable discussion (30 mins)
    Summary (10 mins)

    Expected Outcomes

    The workshop organizers will collect pertinent findings to be incorporated in future sessions/reports on inclusive language use among youths from a youth perspective.

    Additionally, the key takeaways and lessons may also be used as learning material and references for future enablement sessions or training sessions at NetMission.Asia.

    The salient findings may also be used in future research articles and publications which focus on gender and English for Specific Purposes.

    Hybrid Format: To facilitate interaction between onsite and online speakers and attendees; the organizers will be allocating speaking time for all parties (+ any buffering). Additionally, the online platform, Miro board, will be utilized by our online moderator to collect opinions and ideas during the session; this can ensure a complete experience for both online and onsite participants.

    The workshop organizers hope to share the session output in the form of an infographic or report on NetMission.Asia website; to enable participants or other people to revisit the session outputs after the event concludes.