Launch of 2024 Gender Report by the GEM Report

[kass...@gmail.com]

Dear colleagues,

 

We are pleased to announce that the gender edition of the 2023 GEM Report on technology in education will be launched on 25 April during the International Girls in ICT Day.

 

The 2024 Gender Report entitled “Technology on her terms” assesses the progress made towards achieving gender parity across all levels of education. The report delves into the nuanced dynamics of gender and technology within educational settings, acknowledging the potential of technology to transform learning experiences while also recognizing its role in perpetuating existing disparities and its potential for exacerbating negative gender norms in the classroom. It shows how exposure to algorithm-driven, image-based content can expose girls to inappropriate material, ranging from sexual content to videos that glorify unhealthy behaviours or unrealistic body standards. This exposure can have particularly detrimental effects on girls’ self-esteem and body image and affect their ability to learn.

The report shows that gender divides exist at all stages of intersections between technology and education. These begin with gaps in the initial access to technology through to the way that girls and boys study subjects that lead to careers in technology development. It includes new data on STEM from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics which shows that the share of women in STEM graduate has remained stagnant for 10 years at 35%. The result is a vicious cycle within which girls are constantly on the back foot, ultimately unable to alter the stereotypes and gender bias in technology that might leave them excluded in the first place.

We would like to invite you to:

·         Join the launch event  organised by the AU International Center for Girls & Women's Education in Africa and ImpactHER from 13:00 to 15:00 pm on how to bridge the gender gap in STEAM education and to leverage female leadership in the wake of AI -register here.

·         Download the report and discover the key messages and recommendations

·         Share our social media pack across our networks- under embargo until 25 April

·         Get in touch to discuss opportunities for joint outreach and dissemination

 

Please help us spread the word about the need for technology to be leveraged as a catalyst for gender-equitable education!

Best wishes,

The GEM Report team