2024 International Women’s Day: What is the theme proposed by the UN this year?

Despite efforts in different parts of the world to promote gender equality, there is still a long way to go before women achieve equal footing with men.

According to a United Nations report released late last year, the gender gap in leadership positions is still very much entrenched, and women continue to spend many more hours per day on unpaid domestic work than men. The report says that if current trends are not reversed, more than 340 million women and girls will live in extreme poverty by 2030.

In light of such a daunting reality, the UN has focused on one aspect for the celebration of International Women’s Day this year that is in keeping with the times- promoting gender equality in the digital world.

READ ALSO: The inspiring women who have shaped feminism

2024 International Women’s Day: What is the theme proposed by the UN this year?

UN Women and the United Nations are celebrating with the theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.” They chose this topic to call attention to the gender gap in the digital sphere.

UN Women highlighted specific statistics on their website that back up their choice of theme. According to their data, women make up only 22% of artificial intelligence workers all over the world. Their analysis also showed that 44.2% of AI systems studied showed gender bias.

READ ALSO: International Women’s Day is right around the corner

They also focused on online violence, stating that 73% of surveyed women journalists reported suffering online violence in the practice of their profession.

Despite these sobering figures, the UN and UN Women also see the potential of digital technology to empower women, girls, and other marginalized groups and help eliminate inequality.

The two organizations are “calling on governments, activists and the private sector alike to power on in their efforts to make the digital world safer, more inclusive and more equitable.”