International Women's Day to focus on digital inclusion and innovation this year

With the International Women's Day (IWD) only a few hours away, it's important to understand the theme and focus of this year's march.

Celebrated annually on March 8, IWD will see women from all walks of life marching for their fundamental rights.

Like every year, 2023's march has a theme, and this time it is digital inclusion of marginalized women in male-dominated spaces and societies. The UN decided "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality." 

Before we begin with what this year's theme is and how will it cater to women, we need to understand the agenda of IWD. The day gives women an opportunity to raise their voice for their rights and celebrate their achievements.

IWD owes its origin to the US socialist and labour movements of the early 20th century. With the first recorded celebration in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, IWD's focus has since broadened from issues of violence against women to work on progress and parity in every field.

It is crucial to understand that no single group owns or runs the event. However, the United Nations usually acts as the face of these celebrations, after it officially recognized IWD in 1977.

According to the UN, the access to the internet gap between men and women is 259 million, and women are largely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

For 2023, the UN will focus on the importance of technological advancements and education among women keeping in mind the alarmingly growing digital gender gap that directly affects job opportunities to cyber safety. 

“Bringing women into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality. Their lack of inclusion, by contrast, comes with massive costs,” suggests the official UN website.

Pakistan is one of the many countries that celebrate Women's Day, also locally known as Aurat March, socio-political demonstrations in cities such as Lahore, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta, Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar on International Women's Day.