International Women’s Day, 8 March, 2023 - DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.

 

यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवताः । यत्रैतास्तु न पूज्यन्ते सर्वास्तत्राफलाः क्रियाः ।। मनुस्मृति ३/५६ ।।

 (Loosely transcribed in English - Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata, yatraitaastu na pujyante sarvaastatrafalaah - Manusmriti). Meaning - Where women are honoured, divinity blossoms, and where women are dishonoured, all action, no matter how noble, remain unfruitful. 

 Unfortunately, although historically there is so much material evidence to suggest equal if not a higher position of women in the Indian society, yet, it is paradoxical that women continue to face the worst of discrimination. Not just in India but globally. The situation is so grim that even in the third decade of the twenty first century (2023) we have to remind ourselves to rightfully demand for a jest gender equality. This is enshrined as one of the important goals in the United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals - to ‘achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’. This is all the more important when it comes to the reach of digital technology. It is in this context that commemorating this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) with its theme, DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, is timely for reinforcing the urgent need for constant introspection for affirmative action to achieve the UN SDG. 

 From the dim millennium of prehistory to the modern times where digital technologies are integral to our lives - computers, Internet enabled mobiles, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, 3D printing, etc. - innovation & technology has been inextricably woven into the fabric of human society. However, across time and space, when it comes to harvesting its benefits, women have been majorly discriminated, not just in benefitting from its applications but also in crediting their contributions. IWD is therefore an occasion to remind us of our solemn duties for action to expedite removal of the growing inequality, particularly in the reach of digital technology, so that it truly becomes DigitALL. 

The genesis for the struggle for equal rights for women began in the early 1900s. The oppression and inequality were pushing women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Looking back in history, it was on this very day – 8th March - in 1908 that women labours movement started as a united march in which some 15000 women marched in an organised way through the New York City, demanding shorter working hours and better pay and right to vote for women, who until then were treated unequally in US. Encouraged by the response that the women’s march received, the Socialist Party of America joined hands with this movement and demanded for declaring the day as the National Woman's Day. The idea to convert this day into an International Women’s Day came from Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany. She tabled the idea of an International Women's Day during the International Conference of Working Women held in Copenhagen in 1910. She proposed that every year in every country, there should be a celebration on the same day to press for change, thus was born the International Women's Day. In the very next year, 1911, this day was celebrated as the Women’s Day in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. However, it was only in 1975 that the United Nations (UN) acknowledged and started celebrating this day as International Women’s Day. Ever since the IWD has been celebrated every year with a theme on this day. 

I take this opportunity to wish every one a very happy IWD and hope that the wonderful theme of DigitALL is truly achieved much before the goal for achieving the UN SDG. 

We have passed through the worst of times during the Covid pandemic (2020- 2022) with loss of millions of lives and livelihood. Fortunately, the misery and pain for the society was partially minimised with the use of digital technology. Digital technology and Internet helped us to tide through this situation, passing through trials and tribulations. The significance of the digital technology and its use in current times can best be seen when one looks at the pace at which the on-line activities have grown in India, including digital payments in the last three years. Observers Research Foundation (ORF) has said that the COVID-19 has propelled a 500 percent increase in tele-health consultations, a structural shift towards online shopping with e-retail reaching 95 percent of Indian districts, and digital payments touching a 100 million transactions per day mark. Added to this are the online academic sessions and office works etc. all of which have shown an exponential growth in the use of digital technology. Unfortunately, the rapid spread of digital technology in India has also amplified the digital divide, which is evidenced in the recently released Oxfam ‘India Inequality Report 2022: Digital Divide’. 

The report, published on 5th December 2022, highlights the impact of the ‘digital divide’ in India in fields like education, health and financial sectors. The report bases its findings on the data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, Mumbai, which was gathered through surveys conducted between January 2018 and December 2021. The report examines access to digital technology among groups belonging to different castes, regions, religions, economic backgrounds, genders and levels of education. The report says that less than 32 per cent of women in India own a mobile phone - compared to over 60 per cent of men. The report also says that ‘women generally have handsets that cost less and are not as sophisticated as those used by men and the usage of digital services is usually limited, only to phone calls and text messages. It further adds that “women use digital services less often and less intensively, and they access the internet less frequently”. The Oxfam report and many other findings emphasize the digital divide that is quite rampant as a result of the vast gender discrimination not just in India but globally. 

Speaking of achieving DigitALL, I am reminded of an important initiative that we had taken, during my service with NCSM, which resulted in the development of a Cyberskool at National Science Centre, New Delhi in 1996 and 1997 in two phases. The importance of this new facility with multimedia state of the art networked computer with dial internet access can be contextualised when we look at the period when internet was launched in India. 15th August, 1995 marks the dawn of internet in India. It was introduced by VSNL, under the leadership of the veteran telecom engineer, late Mr. Brijesh K Syngal. It had huge hiccups and technical issues, when it was launched in India. Only three metro cities were connected to the Internet, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Even the Silicon Valley of India Bangalore had no internet access in 1995. Moreover, there were very few individuals, corporates, companies and government institutions, which had the privilege and luxury to be connected to the internet in 1995. 

In less than one year of the launch of internet in India, the National Science Centre Delhi was connected to the Internet in June 1996, courtesy a new facility the Cyberskool, which was introduced at the centre in partnership and with sponsorship from Intel. I had the honour to be the Project Coordinator of this project and from Intel side, the current NASCOM president Ms. Debjani Ghosh was the lead for this project. The significance of this project was so profound that the head of Intel, Dr Craig Barrette flew down to open this facility at the NSCD. In the very next year, this facility was further extended and even the extended facility was opened by the head of Intel, Dr Craig Barrette. Cybeskool opened up the facility of Internet and digital technology and its use for the school and college students of Delhi and so also for the public way back in 1996. 

The Cyberskool was a centre point for us – Intel and NSCD - to collectively launch a wide-ranging digital learning and engaging programmes in Delhi, primarily for the benefit of students. Project Vidya was one such program, which launched to educate the teachers from across the country and training them to harvest the benefits of digital technology and internet in education - majority of the beneficiaries were lady teachers. Another important program that I vividly remember which was meant for girl students was the STAR program which was organised at Cyberskool in association with IEEE. IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) is a global network of IEEE members and volunteers dedicated to promoting women engineers and scientists, and inspiring girls around the world to follow their academic interests in a career in engineering and science. STAR Program is one of their important programs, which is aimed at mentoring young girls in middle and high schools and motivating them to pursue electronic and computer engineering as their career. 

The STAR educational outreach program, which promotes involvement of IEEE members with girl students in schools in order to create a positive image of engineering careers, was started by us in Delhi and it involved around 100 girl students chosen from different schools in Delhi and surrounding. The international STAR program had begun in 1995 by IEEE WIE. We at NSCD used the facility of Cyberskool to collaborate with IEEE local chapter in Delhi and Intel and tied up a long-term program with IEEE WIE. It helped us to identify around 100 girl students from different schools in Delhi and they were enrolled with us for the one-year STAR program. On almost all week ends these girls were mentored and trained by women engineers and they were allowed access to our Cyberskool and the internet facilities. They were also taken to different engineering colleges and institutions, like IIT Delhi, Delhi College of Engineering, National Physicals Laboratory etc. where they had an opportunity to interact with faculty and scientists and to see their labs and to learn of the careers in electronic and computer engineering. This program went on for three years from 1998 to 2000. Even today the science centres can start this STAR program to improve the perception of the field of engineering for girls and to continue to attract more girls to pursue an engineering career. This will incrementally aid in achieving the DigitALL aim which the IWD 2023. 

This IWD - 8 March, 2023 - let us hope that the collective efforts of the international community, governments, activists, NGOs, private sector and all other stakeholders, will accentuate the goal to make the digital world safer, more inclusive and more equitable to achieve a ‘DigitALL’ society, by embracing everyone. 

Once again wishing you a very happy International Women’s Day. 

 Images : Courtesy Wikipedia and NSC Delhi