We are “determined to advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere in the interest of all humanity.” Ever since this profound declaration at the Beijing Conference (Fourth World Conference on Women) in September 1995, societies have made remarkable progress in gender equity. Today, women have continued to pull their weight across different sectors: manufacturing, medicine, banking, education, entertainment, sports, fashion, politics, agriculture, transportation, space exploration, etc.
A Bloomberg study published in 2019 showed that in the decades after the Beijing Conference, gender inequality has reduced noticeably across the world in some key areas. Though in some other areas, progress has been slow.
In terms of literacy, the gap between male and female has narrowed by about 41percent, according to the Bloomberg report. In management position, the gap has narrowed by 38percent while in political leadership, the gap has narrowed by 28percent.
Nigeria has also made progress in terms of a gender balanced workforce, though recent job data by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that of the 39 million females in the labour force, 12.4 million are unemployed compared to 9.6 million of unemployed males from a 42 million pool. For instance, many multinationals and big corporates now have a large number of females in their workforce up to management and board levels. Multinationals like Stanbic IBTC Group, Olam, Interswitch, and MTN pride themselves as equal opportunities organisations where male and female employees have an equal chance to climb as far up the leadership ladder as their skills and talents will take them in those organisations.
As Nigerian women continue to challenge the male dominance across key sectors of the economy, education has been the most potent tool used. Education has been pivotal in driving much of the progress made in gender parity globally. This is not surprising because productivity levels in any society is directly proportionate to the skills and talents available to it and education helps unlock these talents. Thus, it is unsurprising that as more and more women became educated it became easy for them to exploit opportunities in the labour market as well as in other endeavours. The Bloomberg study showed that “globally, nearly 83 percent of adult women were literate as of 2016,” compared with the “61percent” figure from the 1970s.
In Nigeria, the education gap between genders is closing fast. In fact, in many regions of the country today, bar the North Central and South-South regions, more females are in schools than males.
As we celebrate this progress in gender equity, however, we must be mindful of a real and present threat to further progress in the coming years and decades. In the digitalization universe, with virtual reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and the internet of things dictating socio-economic relationships, now and into the future, women are already sidetracked and disadvantaged. And except this is focused on and addressed immediately, we may just find that 20/30 years from now, in a fully digital world, gender inequality is back to pre-Beijing conference period or even worse. Then, women will be faced with exclusionary and biased policies, regulations, and poor earnings.
Globally, women are not adequately represented in the digitalization drive. The number of women in the science and technology job pool is low and shrinking. According to US Bureau of Labour Statistics, “Women make up only 28percent of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).” This is the reality globally, including Nigeria. The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, recently lamented the poor representation of women in the scientific research sector, which he said was responsible for “a lower publication rate, less visibility, less recognition and, critically, less funding” for women. “Without more women in STEM, the world will continue to be designed by and for men, and the potential of girls and women will remain untapped,” Guterres warned. A research has shown that by 2030, more than 60percent of jobs globally will be STEM based. That is less than 10 years away.
To tackle this lopsidedness, it is imperative to address the root cause. The enrollment figures in science and technology subjects or courses in schools are disproportionate in favour of males. Across the world, “Engineering and computer science — two of the most lucrative STEM fields — remain heavily male dominated. Only 21percent of engineering majors and 19percent of computer science majors are women.” In Nigeria, the figure is even lower. Despite the increase in female enrollments in schools in the country, several surveys, including data by the National Bureau of Statistics, have shown that only about 20percent of engineering and technology first degree holders are women and far fewer girls are taking up STEM courses in secondary schools.
Now is the time to challenge this to ensure women are not sidetracked and shortchanged in the new digital society. The private and the public sectors must partner to institute policies and introduce exciting initiatives that will encourage more girls to like STEM courses. The Interswitch Group’s Interswitch SPAK initiative, which is inspiring and rewarding secondary school students, especially girls, to take up STEM subjects, is one initiative that could be replicated and scaled up across the country. In the immediate, scholarships, grants, mentorship, and easy access to lucrative jobs for female scientists would help refocus attention. In the long term, a total restructuring of the education system, teaching methods, better welfare for science teachers, engagement of more female science teachers to inspire the girls, building of top-class science and tech facilities, and most importantly cultural reorientation are required.
Martha is an Associate Director at Mediacraft. She can be reached via [email protected]
